Truth's Revealed
by airedalegirl1
Summary: What secrets do the Volturi hold? Why did Renee really leave? Just who is the predator and who the prey? There are no answers, only questions, secrets, and danger, and Bella, the innocent in all of this, somehow finds herself in the very center of it all. B/J
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter One**_

 _ **Renee**_

"I have to go Charlie and I need you to let me."

The look on my husband's face as I spoke those words broke my heart but it was the truth. I had stolen time away from my life's work to find love, a husband, and to my great joy a baby daughter but now I had to return, leaving them behind without a word of explanation. How could I explain? He would never understand, he would think I was making fun of him or lying to hide the truth. I knew Charlie wouldn't just sit back and let me, he tried everything he could to persuade me to stay here in Forks with him and our infant daughter but it was useless.

He watched white faced and uncomprehending as I finished packing my case and carried it downstairs halting only when I reached the front door. I had considered leaving while he was at work but that would have been the coward's way out and although I may be many things, not all of them things I was proud of, I wasn't a coward and he deserved better than a "Dear Charlie" letter. My husband was a good man, a really good man, and he deserved much better than I was giving him.

"How can you just up and leave like this? You owe me an explanation at the very least. You keep telling me that it's not my fault so what is it? Is there another man? And what about Bella? What do I tell her when she grows up? Think about it Renee, whatever the problem is we can work through it, surely nothing can be so bad that we can't sort it out?"

I sighed and stroked my baby's soft downy cheek with the back of my hand as she lay asleep in his arms.

"Tell her that I loved her very much, that I loved you both and that's why I had to go. You're both better off without me and Charlie, please don't try to find me. Just look after our daughter, keep her safe and try to forget I ever existed."

Tears were coursing down his face and damping the fluffy pink blanket wrapped around Bella but I had no choice, I couldn't weaken now despite his pleading words which shook with emotion.

"I love you, Renee, don't go, please."

I shook my head choking back tears of my own as I opened the door and picked up my case packed with everything I needed.

"I'm sorry Charlie. Goodbye."

I almost ran down the steps to the waiting taxi and as it sped away I forced myself not to look back. If I had seen the two people I loved more than life itself standing there I would have ordered the taxi to turn around and I couldn't do that. Instead, I settled back in my seat and closed my eyes fixing the memory of Charlie's face and Bella's scent in my memory. They would cope, Harry and Sue would make sure of that, they were Charlie's closest friends and the best friends either of us could ever have. They were also the best people to watch out for my daughter. Despite my breaking heart I knew I had done the only thing I could and the pain was my own fault for wanting the normal things that every woman wanted despite being no normal woman. My pain, their pain, was all down to my own selfishness.

 _ **Charlie**_

I watched in disbelief as the cab disappeared down the road and wondered what the hell had just happened. Up until last night, everything had been great, my life was perfect, I had a beautiful wife I thought loved me and we had created the beautiful creature asleep in my arms yet this morning my life had crashed and burned before my eyes with no explanation.

We had been at Harry's yesterday for dinner, we spent a lot of time there, Renee and Sue having become firm friends from the very first time they met. Everything had seemed fine until Renee disappeared for an hour without explanation. When she returned she tried hard to act as if everything was fine but I could see something was troubling her. We left earlier than usual and when we got home she put Bella to bed then disappeared for a soak in the tub, something she always did if she needed a little time to herself.

When she reappeared she was quiet and distant, unwilling to talk and took herself off to bed early with "a headache". When I went up a little after ten she was already asleep or at least I had thought she was.

It wasn't until early this morning that I woke to find her already up and packing a case. When I asked her what was wrong, where she was going, she just shook her head but I could see she'd been crying. She refused to answer any of my questions and escaped downstairs while I scrambled out of bed and threw some clothes on.

When I joined her she had made coffee and was preparing Bella's morning feed. At first, I thought she was planning on taking Bella somewhere, was our baby sick? But why a suitcase? I was confused and about to start questioning her again when she turned to look at me and dropped the bombshell.

"I have to go Charlie and I need you to let me."

For a moment I was speechless with shock then I begged her to tell me what was wrong. Whatever it was we could sort it out between us, we were adults and there was nothing so dire it couldn't be resolved, but she refused to say any more. I ran back upstairs to get Bella, hoping the sight of our infant daughter would change her mind but it didn't, and I could see she meant what she had said, I wouldn't be seeing her again. She wouldn't even tell me where she was going and when I called her mom to see if Renee had spoken to her there was no dial tone, it had been cut off.

When there was a knock on the door a few minutes later as I fed my daughter her bottle I jumped up, it must be Renee coming back having decided it was crazy to run away but I was wrong, it was Sue Clearwater. She took Bella from me and walked through to the kitchen picking up the half empty bottle I'd put down and that Bella was beginning to cry for.

"I take it Renee's gone?"

I nodded trapped in misery,

"She rang me a little while ago and told me she was leaving. She asked me to come over and look after you and Bella. Sit down Charlie before you fall down."

I sat down mechanically, my mind whirring with questions.

"Did she tell you where she was going? Or why? She wouldn't tell me anything Sue. What happened yesterday? Something changed while we were at the res, where did she go?"

Sue had no answers for me, Renee hadn't told her any details, just that she was leaving and knew I would need some help and support. She insisted that nothing had happened the day before and I wasn't sure whether I believed her or not but either way I couldn't get anything else from her.

I trudged back upstairs numbly not knowing what to do, I noticed the photo of the three of us still on her bedside locker. Her jewelry, including the gold wedding band I had given her, was in her jewel casket, and most of her clothes still hung in the closet, she had taken only the bare essentials.

An envelope with my name scrawled on it in her familiar script lay on her pillow and I scooped it up hoping it might just explain what was going on.

I opened it with trembling fingers and shook out the contents. A bank book containing what looked like most of the money Renee had earned working part time at Newton's store fell out and a simple note.

"For Bella's future, I wish it could have been more."

That was it, no signature, no explanations, nothing more.

At first, I said I couldn't go to work but then decided it was my best hope of finding out where Renee was going and discovering what exactly why she had left so abruptly. Sue offered to babysit Bella but had a warning for me as I left.

"Leave it be Charlie, don't try to find her."

I turned on her suspicious, what did she know? But sensing the question she merely shook her head,

"If she left without telling you anything then she doesn't want to explain or be found. Let it go, Charlie, it can bring you nothing but heartache. She's gone, concentrate on your daughter now."

I was sure she knew something but even when I begged her to tell me she insisted there was nothing she could tell me that I didn't already know and I had to settle for that, after all, Sue would have told me if she knew anything wouldn't she? Or at least she would have told Harry and he would have passed any information to me, we went way back.

It wasn't until I had shut the front door and trudged down the porch steps that it occurred to me Sue had phrased her answer very carefully. She hadn't said she knew nothing more, only that she knew nothing more that she could tell me. Was I being paranoid? Or did she know more that she wasn't at liberty to tell me?

I drove to work deciding not to tell anyone what had just happened until I knew a little more but also knowing that the news Renee had left town would already have gotten round, nothing happened in Forks that stayed a secret for long, so I told a little white lie, that Renee had gone to look after her mom who had been taken ill. I felt bad about it but for now, I wanted to keep her abandonment of me and our daughter to myself, it was just too raw.

Once ensconced in my office with the door firmly closed I rang a pal in the San Diego P.D and asked him for a favor.

"I think there might be something wrong with Renee's mom, we haven't been able to get in contact with her so could you just do a quick check for me."

He didn't ask any questions, just took the number, but I think he was aware there was more going on here than I was telling.

As I waited to hear back I tried to act as if nothing was wrong and for the most part, I think I succeeded, the office atmosphere didn't feel any different and I hoped I might get to the bottom of the mystery before they found out Renee had left for good. I rang home two or three times to check on Bella and make sure Renee hadn't come home and the news was always the same, Bella was fine and there was no sign of my wife.

It was getting close to the end of my shift when the long awaited call came.

"Sorry to take so long Charlie, we had a multiple shooting to deal with. Are you sure you gave me the right number?"

"Yeah, Renee phones her every week religiously."

He was quiet for a minute and I felt myself tense up,

"Well, I don't know what's going on Charlie and it's none of my business but that number doesn't exist. I tried a trace but it came up empty. I don't know if you got the number scrambled or what. You want to double check it and get back to me?"

I thought quickly,

"No, it's OK, it was just a false alarm, I guess I got the numbers mixed up, sorry to have bothered you."

How could Renee have been ringing a nonexistent number all this time and talk to someone on the other end? She'd told me she and her mom didn't get along and that's why she only rang and never visited, it was also why I never got to meet her even when Bella was born.

I called the cab company that had picked Renee up and found that she had been dropped off, not at the airport as I had expected, but at the train station. Calling in a favor from the clerk at the ticket office I discovered that if she had purchased a ticket she had done so with cash and they had no records that would help me.

It didn't take me long to realize Renee was gone, vanished, and had made very sure that I would have no way to trace her. She didn't use her passport or driver's license and her bank account hadn't been accessed although I knew that would be a dead end, she'd left the book here for Bella. Everywhere I turned was a dead end, Renee's cell phone was switched off and I found it the following day in the trash the SIM card cut into confetti.

As the weeks turned into months and then a year I had to accept that I would never discover where Renee had gone or why and I had my hands full bringing up our daughter alone. When she was old enough I told Bella that her mom had left us and she seemed to accept that although I knew it hurt her but as she grew up she asked more questions that I couldn't answer them, I just didn't know what had happened and the only memories Bella had of her mom were the photographs Renee had left behind and the ache in her chest from being abandoned.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

 **Bella**

My dad tried really hard to make my childhood special but as I grew older I missed my mom more. My friends had mom's to talk to, go shopping with and share all those intimacies that you never talked to your dad about. I had Sue Clearwater who did her best to fill the void but it wasn't the same and we both knew it.

Sometimes I got the photo's out and stared at the stranger holding me in her arms and smiling as if maybe I could find a clue, something to explain why she had walked out on me when I was just a baby but of course, they held no answers, just heartache.

I think my dad hoped that by taking me to the reservation as often as he could I would see it as a second home and whenever his shifts meant he had to be away from home overnight I would stay with Sue and Harry. To be honest, when I was really small it worked, I looked at Leah as a sister but as I got older it stopped working so well and once I started school my illusion was shattered because I couldn't go to the reservation school with her. I had no mom and no brothers or sisters. I guess that's when it really hit me and for a while, I would cry myself to sleep after family events when I would have to go with Mrs. Webber or Mrs. Stanley as one of their parties if dad couldn't make it. I guess it must have hurt him to see me so upset but I was too young to hide it.

Then I found that I enjoyed school, I had friends there, others my own age I could play with and have sleepovers and I wasn't so lonely any longer. Lessons weren't easy but I worked hard to please my dad and got good grades. I loved books and they became my constant companions, either a paperback rolled up in my jacket pocket or an audio book on my I-pod. Books gave me an escape route when I started thinking about how different my life would have been if my mom had decided to hang around.

Dad and I were close, probably closer than we would have been if circumstances had been different and I discovered as I got older that he felt as much pain as I did during those special family times, Christmas and birthdays, family picnics, that kind of thing. I think that's when I first began to genuinely dislike my mom. It crept up on me gradually, I went from pain and loss to anger and then disdain. She didn't care about us so why should we care about the fact she left us? I didn't care that she'd gone, I never wanted to think about her again. As far as I was concerned we were better off without a callous bitch who had just walked away and forgotten all about us.

I tried to fill her place in the home as I grew, taking on the chores and learning to cook from Sue. Dad had done his best but whenever he cooked it looked like a real battle between him and the cooker and most times the cooker won. Luckily Sue kept the freezer filled with home cooked meals and if we ran low we went to the diner. By the time I was ten I could cook an edible meal and by twelve I took over the laundry and most of the cleaning although dad did all he could and I never missed out on things because of chores.

High school was harder but again I worked at it and my grades were still good. I even helped Jake sometimes when he got stuck, especially with maths. Give him a motorbike in pieces and he could put it together and have it running sweet as a nut but hand him a page of algebra and it might as well be Chinese!

Like the Clearwaters the Blacks were good friends of my dad and I began spending more time with Jake when Leah left to live with an aunt for a while after she and Sam Uley broke up. That came as something of a shock as it was a given that they would get married in time, after all, they'd been together forever. They had been so close and then her cousin came to visit and BANG! Next thing I knew Emily and Sam were engaged and Leah was a mess. When she left I was glad that my dad hadn't given in to Sue's plea that I go live with them, I hated the fact they had stood by Sam's choice rather than tell him exactly what they thought of him.

There were times when they insisted on me visiting and seemed very unhappy if I had a reason not to. Those were the times when I felt pressured because I would find myself virtually stalked by Jake, or one of the other guys although when I mentioned it to Sue or my dad they just laughed it off. Maybe it was just me being over-sensitive, after all, why would they be stalking me? Life sometimes got weird, maybe because I wasn't one of the tribe!

I learned the complete story of my mom's abandonment from Emily when we were chatting one day and that raised more questions than it answered because I discovered we had been on the reservation the day before she left. I asked Sue about that day if my mom had said anything to her if she'd known my mom was going to leave, and something told me that for the first time Sue hadn't been entirely honest with me which came as a shock. I was angry with myself for being pulled back into the mess that was my mom, sure I hated her sometimes but I guess there would always be that small part of me that wanted to understand, wanted answers until finally I was forced to accept the fact that I was never going to get those answers and then I turned my full attention to my future.

I hadn't really decided what I wanted to do with my life, I vacillated between librarian and cop although my dad was horrified when he heard the latter and I guess I didn't really have the build for it. As he pointed out a felon could just pick me up and run off with me under one arm and a safe under the other. Still, I had time to decide and the only good thing my mom had ever done for me was to leave me money for college. Money I had initially told my dad I didn't want but he talked me around and I guess it made sense to take the college fund she left me and add to it as and when I could, after all my dad didn't earn enough to fund me on his own and my own part time jobs wouldn't enrich it much.

I guess I expected things to stay the same, that I would go to high school, graduate, then go on to college and probably return to Forks afterward. I wasn't very adventurous and I worried about leaving my dad alone but things rarely go the way you plan them and my life was no different.

It all started the day a new family arrived in town. Strangers were something of a novelty in small town Forks and these were something very special The father was our new town MD, taking over from old Doc Street who should have retired years ago. The mom was a homemaker who was happy to join all the town committees and became well known for her hard work and idea's but it was the five foster kids they brought with them that really stood out. They looked like a snapshot of "Family of the year" all good looks and latest fashions but there was something odd about them and most people at school found themselves keeping their distance although no one could quite say why.

Edward and Alice, two of the new kids, were in most of my classes and after a few days, I found myself befriending Alice who was a riot. I'd never met anyone quite like her, so full of energy that she bounced as she walked and always so full of fun. Her "brother" however was very different. He too was gorgeous with strange burnished copper hair and the same golden amber eyes as Alice but there the resemblance ended. Edward didn't talk much, he was reserved and rather quiet but I found myself drawn to him and eventually I broke the ice between us and found him to be funny and very intelligent.

I didn't take much notice of the others after the initial shock of their strange beauty, they were older anyway and Rosalie, the Ice Queen, left us in no doubt that the entire student body were well beneath her in every way that mattered. Her boyfriend Emmett was a mountain of a guy who was into extreme sports and always had a grin on his face although how he managed it being tied up with her was a mystery. That was something else that seemed rather odd, a couple who were also kinda brother and sister.

The final member of the family was a real loner and it was easy to see why. There was something of the "bad boy" about him, a sense of danger hung around him and as a result, we all gave him a wide berth, not that he seemed to notice. He was certainly the sexiest guy I'd ever seen but then weren't all the bad boys? You only had to look at James Dean to see that.

The family kept largely to themselves, with the exception of Alice and it was through my friendship with her that I found myself going out with Edward. I hadn't dated much but he didn't seem to be like the other guys, his mannerisms were more like that of a much older guy, maybe even Rhett Butler, I loved Gone with the Wind, although I couldn't see myself as Scarlett O'Hara somehow. He was thoughtful and romantic and I found myself falling for him although for some strange reason neither my dad nor my friends on the Res liked him at all.

For the first time, I began to dread visits to the reservation and started making excuses to stay home or go out with Edward instead. It felt odd knowing that the people I saw as my extended family was so stubbornly anti my boyfriend. Edward, in turn, tried to keep the peace by staying away from the Quileute village although I tried to persuade him to accompany me. I was sure once they had met him my Quileute friends would realize how stupid their antagonism towards him and his family was. The most frustrating thing was that no one was prepared to tell me why they hated the Cullens so much. I had a suspicion that Edward knew more than he was prepared to tell me which was equally puzzling. I felt I had stepped into the middle of a secret war without the faintest idea what the reasons behind it were.

My dad was more open about his reasons for disliking Edward while he was friends with Carlisle and Esme.

"I just don't like the way he treats you Bells. He's too controlling and he's way too ready to look down on others. Good looks aren't everything you know. I think he's taking up too much of your time, you should be concentrating on your school work, these are important years in your education, for your future."

There was little I could say to this although a lot of the time I spent with Edward we were doing school work. I think the bottom line was that my dad didn't want his little girl to be dating at all.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

 **Bella**

While I was forced to deal with my dad's hostility towards Edward I could avoid that of the Clearwaters and Blacks by staying away although unfortunately this only made their dislike deeper. It was horrible not being able to visit Sue, Emily, or even Jake. It was like losing yet more family members and I hated that they were forcing this on me. It only reopened a wound I thought had healed over the years, and now found it had been there all along festering under the surface.

Edward did all he could to help and I know he hated the fact his presence was making my life difficult but it was hardly his fault and I loved him, nothing mattered as much as he did in my world. I guess I'd fallen head over heels like the young girl I was.

The result of keeping away from the reservation was that I found myself spending more time at Edward's place instead, much to my dad's dismay but what could he do when Esme offered for me to stay there if he was working nights and I wouldn't go to Sue and Harry? I could have stayed home on my own but I knew he hated the idea of me being alone overnight. He'd seen too much in his career to be comfortable with that.

At first, I spent all my time with Edward and Alice, I still felt uncomfortable with Rosalie and Emmett although the latter was always friendly and Rose was at least polite but then I began to notice Jasper. He was the silent presence in the room, always around but never a part of whatever was happening. He never joined in the conversation but somehow I found myself becoming acutely aware of his presence.

I found myself watching him from the corner of my eye, trying to be discreet. If he was absent when I arrived or I didn't see him during a visit I felt strangely disappointed even if Edward and I had been together the whole time and I knew this must mean something, I just wasn't sure what or who I could talk to about it, certainly not Alice or Esme and speaking to Sue was out of the question.

Eventually, I brought up the subject in a roundabout way when Angie, Jessica, and I had a slumber party at Jessica's house. She had smuggled in two bottles of wine and not being used to it we were mellow by the time the first was empty and probably saying things we wouldn't have dared do at any other time by the time the second was half empty.

"How's Edward? You're so lucky Bella, don't you miss him when you're apart?"

I smiled and nodded but I don't think it was as believable as I had hoped because Angie gave me a strange look before changing the subject to movies we'd seen recently which gave me an idea.

"Did you see that movie the other night, the one where the girl was all mixed up about her feelings about her boyfriend and his friend. She was with the one guy but then found she had feelings for his friend too?"

Jess jumped in straight away,

"No, I must have missed that one but it happens all the time. You think you like one guy and then another comes along and bingo, you find yourself daydreaming about him instead. Does anyone want more snacks? I'm starving."

She went downstairs to grab some more drinks and snacks and no sooner was the door closed than Angie pounced,

"Are you having second thoughts about Edward?"

I tried not to blush but failed miserably,

"No, of course not. Why do you ask?"

"There was no movie like you described, we talked about the movies we'd seen yesterday at school and I remember you telling me your dad had withdrawn your TV privileges this week because you got a B in history. So….."

She was watching me closely and I tried to shrug as if it didn't matter that she'd caught me out in a lie.

"I was just wondering if it's odd to be so aware of more than one guy at a time, I guess."

She studied me, one eyebrow arched in suspicion,

"Well, I'd say it meant you weren't committed to the first guy which does happen. We all make mistakes and need to play the field a little. Care to tell me who has taken your attention from Edward? I mean is there anyone in school that can outshine him? If so please point him out to me. Hey, maybe you could point me out to Edward if you do break up with him."

I had to smile at that but I shook my head, unwilling to go into details,

"Not really, I guess I just can't believe someone like Edward would really be interested in someone plain like me."

"So, you thought you'd look around while you go out with him? It's as plain as a cherry on top of cream that he's crazy about you so I'm not buying that excuse, Bella."

Luckily Jess came back then, arms filled with cans and packets and the subject changed to less dangerous ground. I hadn't got anywhere but I was sure Angie would come back to the subject later and she was the one person I thought I could probably trust with my problem.

 _ **Edward**_

I hated being away from Bella even though I knew exactly where she was and what she was doing. I couldn't believe my luck in finding her and was going to ensure I held onto her. At first, things had been wonderful and Bella had been mine and mine alone but recently I had felt something change. The atmosphere wasn't the same and not for the first time I wished I could read her mind. Not knowing what someone was thinking was new to me and extremely frustrating, not to mention annoying. How was I supposed to put things right if I had no idea what was wrong?

Eventually deciding I needed some female insight into the problem I approached Alice as the one other person I could talk to who was close to Bella. She listened in silence as I stumbled through my thoughts and then sighed, shaking her head.

"Edward, you're imagining things. Bella is fine, don't project your own insecurities onto her."

"No, something has changed, something is different when she's here I get the feeling I don't have her complete attention."

Alice burst out laughing,

"I hate to break this to you Edward but you are not the center of the universe. From time to time Bella might actually notice and react to the rest of us, that's just life I'm afraid dear brother."

I eyed her suspiciously, was she making fun of me? I'd found it was useless to try reading Alice's mind when she didn't want me to. She could keep me out with an endless fashion parade or a loop of recited poetry in her head and she was doing that now.

"Oh no, Edward. If you want to find out what I'm thinking you ask me. If you want to find out what Bella is thinking then you are going to have to ask her. On the other hand, if you want my opinion then that's a different matter."

She had me hooked and the little minx knew it,

"Go on then, what do you think, Alice?"

"I think you should ease up, stop crowding her. Bella is young, she needs to spread her wings and if you don't back off some then you just might lose her. She's not a bird you can keep in a cage so stop trying to control her."

"It's not controlling to want to keep her safe."

"Safe from what Edward? She's a girl in a small town. Her dad's the chief of police. What do you think is going to happen to her? If you breathe down her neck all the time you just might drive her back to her friends on the reservation."

I froze, was that what Alice had seen? Was Bella going to drop me for one of the mutts? No, I wouldn't allow that, I couldn't, it was far too dangerous and I loved her too much.

I saw by Alice's expression that she had guessed my reaction to her words and she shook her head sighing in exasperation.

"You really are neurotic Edward. Stop beating yourself up and just enjoy what you have, while you have it."

"You mean while I STILL have it."

"Your interpretation not mine Edward. You asked for my advice and I gave it. It's not my fault if you choose to misunderstand."

What I heard at school the following Monday didn't make me feel any more secure. Bella didn't say much about the slumber party, just that they had a laugh and talked girl stuff but Angie's thoughts as she and Bella came out of the girl's cloakroom told me more. It wasn't what I had overheard while they thought they were speaking privately so much as the thoughts that accompanied the words. She was wondering who Bella had been referring to Saturday night and if things were OK between us. So, did that mean Bella mentioned someone else? Maybe a secret admirer? Or did Bella have her eyes on someone else? And if she did, what could I do about it?

Deciding that all I could do was to wait and watch developments that's just what I did. She didn't seem to show any undue interest in any of the other guys at school although she did spend a lot of time talking to Mike Newton in the cafeteria at lunchtime which was a pain as they had stopped close to the rest of the family so I was forced to make small talk with Alice about the latest paper the new Science teacher had given us when I could have been listening to Mike and Bella more closely.

The thought she might be interested in him was an insult, he was as dull as ditch water but I got the feeling she was distracted by his proximity and I knew for a fact that he was very interested in her so I would do my best to make sure we stayed clear of him where possible in the future. Alice noticed my mood and glared at me then turned away dragging Jazz off to the library although why was beyond me, they weren't even in the same year, maybe she was hoping he would write her science paper for her. Bad move Alice, he was an ace at history but I was better when it came to science. Still, their movement broke up the conversation between Bella and Mike and I was able to steer her away.

For the next week, I made it my job to watch Bella closely and monitor the thoughts of any boys she spoke to. Of course there were several of the guys who were jealous of my closeness to Bella, Mike of course, but Eric and Tyler both had the hots for her yet she didn't seem to be unduly interested in either of them and eventually I decided Alice had been correct, I was torturing myself for nothing and I tried to back off a little and give Bella some space. The trouble was I had such little experience with girls, none with a girl I couldn't read, and it was this that unnerved me, I guess.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

 **Sue Clearwater**

I was concerned for Bella as was Harry along with all the other elders but there was nothing we could do without revealing our secret and that was forbidden. It was pure chance that had brought the Cullens back to Forks while she was here, just a little while longer and she would have left to attend college and be out of their way. Why she had to fall for Edward I couldn't imagine, most humans reaction to a vampire was to stay away, avoid them unless they were using their wiles to draw you in as a meal. Besides, the family had a treaty with the tribe, they wouldn't bite a human and we wouldn't unmask them to the humans so why would Carlisle put that in jeopardy just so Edward could court Bella?

I wanted Quil or Harry to speak to him, warn him that he was close to breaking the treaty but they refused. No one wanted to be in the same room with him and they figured while Bella and Edward might be close now it wouldn't last, it couldn't and she was safe here, none of the vampires would harm her, it would be far too dangerous for them. I feared for Bella though, she was young and impressionable and he was a very handsome man even if it was only a mask to fool the rest of the world. He could hurt her emotionally even if he didn't harm her physically.

Deciding I would be betraying a trust if I sat back and did nothing I rang Bella and asked her if she would like to visit Leah with me. I knew the two girls still spoke to each other often although I doubt she had told my daughter about her boyfriend or if she had Leah wouldn't understand the significance of the name Cullen. None of the youngsters learned about vampires or the guardians until it became necessary and Leah had left well before they appeared in Forks.

Bella was eager to see Leah even if reluctant to spend a whole day with me and I was relieved when her desire to see Leah overcame the rest. I had a second motive for asking Bella to accompany me. Leah blamed me in part for inviting Emily to stay and the subsequent break up between Sam and herself and I thought she would be less hostile if Bella was present especially as Seth had backed out after being chosen for the basketball team which had a game the same weekend.

She didn't speak much during the first part of the journey preferring to stare out of the window so I decided to make the first move.

"Leah will be so pleased to see you, I know she misses you, Bella."

"I miss her too, it's a shame she had to leave."

Well, at least she was interacting with me, that was a start.

"I guess you blame me for that just as she does."

She didn't turn to look at me and for a while, I thought there would be no response but then she shrugged,

"It's not for me to make any criticism, I guess it was just fate. If I ever thought about it I guess I would blame Sam."

That was a relief, at least there was someone who didn't have it in for me and I continued hoping to make a connection.

"Yes, these things just happen sometimes, you just have to play the hand you're dealt and I know Sam would never have hurt Leah deliberately."

Now I had her attention,

"What's the point of apportioning blame? It makes no difference in the long run."

"I guess so, Things don't always turn out the way we expect or want. I was happy enough about the relationship between Leah and Sam so I was lucky. Some parents aren't so happy with their children's choices."

She looked at me through narrowed eyes,

"You mean my dad don't you? He doesn't hide the fact he disapproves of my relationship with Edward any more than you do. In fact, it seems to me that everyone has an opinion on my choices but no one is prepared to explain, funny isn't it?"

"I don't think your mom would have been happy about you and Edward Cullen."

As the words left my mouth I knew I had made a terrible mistake. Bella went rigid and her mouth set in anger.

"It's nice to know someone understands how she might have felt, I guess I don't because I never knew her and to be honest Sue, I really couldn't care less what she might or might not have approved of."

"I don't like to hear you sound so bitter, Bella."

"I'm sorry but it's how I feel and I really don't want to talk about her or my relationship with Edward. It's nobody's business but mine."

"You're wrong, it's the business of everyone who loves you."

"Well, that certainly rules out my mother then."

I sighed,

"Couldn't you just accept some advice from someone who does care?"

She was staring at me intently now,

"Sure, you tell me what you have against the Cullen family and then I'll listen to any criticism you have."

She had me cornered now,

"They are just…..well it's not safe to become involved with any of them."

"Why? That's the only question I want answering but no one will, all I get is veiled references and nasty jibes and to be honest I'm sick of hearing them. This trip was a mistake, I shouldn't have come."

She refused to speak to me after that, just nodding or shaking her head in response to any remarks I made and I was relieved when we pulled up outside my sister's house and we could get out of the car.

 **Bella**

This trip was turning out to be a complete disaster, I'd only agreed in the first place because Edward was going hiking with his brothers and the store was closed for refurbishment so I was at a loose end. I had wanted to see Leah but then Sue had to start, going on about Edward and then my mom as if I would be interested in how she would have felt if she'd still been around instead of abandoning dad and I. I was angry that no one would give me a straight answer to my questions, my dad was the only one who came right out and told me the truth, he didn't like Edward or the way he treated me. I didn't agree but I could respect his feelings and he had a right to advise me, Sue didn't. The fact that I no longer felt the same way about Edward as I had didn't help, I just felt more and more guilty as I felt forced to defend our relationship.

Leah was really pleased when she saw me and the day turned out not to be a total disaster as we caught up and then went into town for lunch and to do some window shopping which was really an excuse to get away from the adults. She never mentioned the Cullens being more interested in her friends back at the reservation. It was easy to see that she missed home but also that she was getting used to living with her aunt and she had cousins her own age here, three girls who were friendly enough and had made her really welcome. For the first time, I didn't feel on the defensive and could relax and enjoy myself.

The journey home was less comfortable, I could feel Sue wanted to talk to me some more but I made it plain the subject of Edward was closed by asking if I could turn the radio on and having it just loud enough to make conversation awkward. A part of me wished I could just up and leave like Leah, walk away from my problem but I couldn't abandon my dad and I had nowhere to go. My grandparents were dead and my dad had no siblings, it was just him and I. My one consolation was that in a year I would be going to college and get away from Forks and people like Sue judging my every move.

I knew I had to make my mind up how I was going to break up with Edward if as I suspected he wasn't the one for me but I felt guilty because I knew this had been caused by my growing feelings for Jasper. How could I tell Edward I was breaking up with him because I fancied his brother? That would be embarrassing, especially as I had no idea if Jasper even knew I existed apart from my role as his brother's girlfriend!

When I got home I found an invitation to stay at Edwards the following weekend, well I guess this would be a good opportunity to decide what I wanted and speak seriously to him. Actually I was excited at the idea but for all the wrong reasons, I would see Jasper, spend a whole weekend under the same roof but of course, I first had to persuade my dad to allow it and that wasn't going to be easy, the thought that I would be spending so much time with the guy he really didn't like would eat at him and he could be very stubborn when he chose to be, a trait I had at least partially inherited. So it would be a battle of wills.

In the end, Dad gave his grudging approval for me to spend the weekend at the Cullen's house but only because he was on night shift both Friday and Saturday and Edward and I were going to a concert in Port Angeles Friday evening and wouldn't be home until late. As the weekend drew closer I found myself becoming nervous and excited, I couldn't even concentrate on my classes. I found myself ultra aware if Jasper was in the same room as me like in the cafeteria. Electricity ran through my body and if our eyes met I would feel a jolt then tear my attention from him. If he came close, to join in the conversation, which was rare, or passed me on his way out of the room I could feel my heartbeat quicken and my mouth go dry.

I was sure guilt must be written clear on my face but Edward didn't seem to see anything out of the ordinary which was a relief. Unfortunately the same couldn't be said for Angie who watched me like a hawk and I struggled not to give her any clue as to who my attention was focused on. When I gave her a lift home on Thursday she asked me if I'd thought more about the conversation we had at the slumber party.

"Not really, I've been busy with homework."

"Edward must be blind if he isn't aware you're going off him."

That shocked me,

"I have no idea what you mean, Angie."

"Oh yes you do, you shouldn't keep him hanging on, it's not fair."

"To who? You, so you can move in for the kill? I know you fancy him."

"I do but he wouldn't give me a second glance, he's crazy about you Bella. Is this other guy so important to you?"

I hesitated then shrugged,

"I have no idea Angie but he rocks my world when I see him and Edward doesn't."

"But he did, it's always like that when you first see someone you really fancy."

"Not like this, this is different."

"Then tell Edward and let him go. Personally, I can't wait to discover who this God who has stolen your heart is. Just please don't tell me it's Mike Newton or Tyler"

My shocked expression made her laugh and I couldn't help joining in but she was right and I promised myself that I would tell Edward this weekend, difficult as it would certainly be.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

 **Bella**

The weekend started out OK although I was too nervous to talk to Edward about our relationship at first and he acted as if he hadn't noticed anything wrong although I couldn't pretend to be as pleased to see him as I used to be. Luckily Alice and Emmett came with us to the concert so there was no opportunity for serious conversations. I wished silently that Jasper had decided to join us too but I was out of luck, not that I had expected anything different, he rarely seemed to join the others for outings unless it was one of the hiking trips the whole family went on from time to time. He was the archetypal loner.

The concert was good although I spent most of the time rehearsing what to say to Edward rather than concentrating on the music and then by the time we got back it was too late for such serious matters so I went straight to bed. Esme had hinted we might be going on a short hike the next day and being a poor hiker I didn't want to show myself up by flagging too early.

When I got up the next morning everyone was ready, it seemed they had eaten breakfast early which embarrassed me slightly although no one seemed to mind waiting for me to wolf down the toast Esme had prepared for me. I had been relieved and excited to see that Jasper appeared to be going with us and felt his eyes bore into mine when he looked at me, his expression unfathomable.

Although Edward stayed by my side most of the time I did manage to fall back a few times to where Jasper followed up the rear and he actually spoke to me, asking if I was enjoying myself and if I had enjoyed the concert. For those few minutes, it was as if we were alone in the forest with no one else around and I felt my whole body tingle, wishing that he was my boyfriend and not Edward.

When we stopped for lunch I found myself in a pretty clearing on the banks of a small creek. If the sun had been shining it would have been perfect but although the clouds looked menacing it was surprisingly warm here and I found myself sitting on a blanket with Alice and Rosalie, who had slowly thawed towards me, while Esme unpacked the picnic and the guys messed about by the creek. Even Jasper was joining in which was something of a shock and when he shoved Emmett hard in the back causing him to fall into the water I couldn't help laughing. He turned to me with a smile and a questioning glance and understanding his intention I nodded.

Edward was not happy at finding himself in the water beside a spluttering Emmett and the chase to capture their assailant and dunk him, in turn, kept us all amused as we ate. This must have been a common occurrence because Esme pulled out towels and dry clothes for the guys to change once they reappeared all soaked through but joking with each other. For the first time I saw Jasper relaxed and playful and it changed him completely, made him even more desirable and I had to stop myself from taking too much notice of him.

The three of them disappeared behind some bushes and seconds later wet clothing came flying in our direction only just missing the blanket we were sitting on and the next thing I knew the two girls were up and attacking the bushes.

Emmett came running out dressed only in his boxers and narrowly avoided another dunking from Rosalie but then they turned into each other's arms and everything else seemed to have been forgotten. Alice meanwhile had someone by the arm and was tugging hard,

"Come on Bella, lend a hand."

I got up without thinking and grabbed the cold slippery arm as she wrestled with the other one and we pulled together. I was stunned when Jasper came into view, bits of bush stuck in his hair and naked from the waist up. The breath stuck in my throat and my body felt like it was on fire. I know I blushed as I dropped his arm reluctantly when Alice did and felt his attention focused on me. The look on his face was unreadable but his eyes locked with mine for a few seconds and again it felt as if we were alone in the clearing.

Edward, who had avoided the wrath of his sisters and was looking pretty smug as a result, joined us and while the other two finished getting dressed I drank a mug of coffee Esme had handed me but I couldn't keep my eyes off Jasper however much I tried. In my mind, I was wishing it had been he who Rose had flushed out in his boxers which only made me feel more ashamed of myself and self-conscious around him.

I was acutely aware of his presence now although I tried to give Edward my attention as much as I could and to his credit, he wasn't annoyed at being pushed into the river which I'd half expected, he was so meticulous about his dress. I couldn't envisage him stripped to the waist with twigs and leaves in his hair still looking so hot.

As the afternoon wore on I noticed Edward giving me some strange looks, almost as if he could read my mind and knew he was no longer the center of my world. I obviously wasn't doing enough to hide my real feelings for him and as a result felt guiltier than ever. I stayed close to him on the hike back aware I would have to break the news to him sooner rather than later but scared it might mean I didn't see Jasper again, after all, I would have no reason to visit the house if Edward and I were no longer an item.

Once back at the house the guys went to shower and we girls sat down to play trivial pursuit, I just hoped I could hold my own as my mind most certainly was not in the game today. Besides, there were certain subjects I was really bad at, like sports and when we had played at the reservation I usually paired up with dad or Jake, both of whom were great at sports and my other weak subject, people and places. I guess I was lucky, my partner Rosalie was red hot at all subjects although I managed to hold my own and I was just beginning to relax again when the guys reappeared. Determined not to give Edward any cause to wonder about my feelings for his brother I tried hard to ignore Jasper and the strange feelings he was creating inside me but it was almost impossible.

After dinner where I seemed to be the only person hungry we played again this time with the guys and drawing straws for a partner as was their habit I found myself partnered with Emmett which was something of a relief, I don't think I could have played sitting beside Jasper. Edward wasn't too happy when he drew Alice as a partner not me but the game was still fun although having Jasper just to my right was rather distracting.

Needless to say I didn't get a chance to speak to Edward but I did try to avoid Jasper, then felt miserable if I were able to and as usual, he kept his distance so I spent most of my time feeling wretched. I would have to make time to speak to Edward alone but as Emmett gave me a lift home as he was going that way another day ended with no resolution.

I didn't see him on Sunday, my dad had the day off and wanted to spend some time with me, and at school on Monday my behavior had Edward worried that I might be sickening for something and that made me feel even worse. The only time I felt good was when I could see Jasper even if I couldn't speak to him or join their party at their table, Edward preferred to join me where I sat with Jess, Angie, Eric and Mike. I tried really hard to ignore Jasper but he drew me like a magnet.

Glancing over at their table I wondered if Jasper felt anything, even a tiny portion of what I was feeling for him, a little of the excitement I felt when I caught sight of him and the thrill if he spoke to me. I must have been deep in thought, or maybe daydreams because Edward shook me gently.

"Bella, what's wrong? You've been staring into space like that for ages, aren't you well? You're very flushed."

Edwards' voice brought me back to the reality of the school cafeteria and the knowledge I had been staring not into space but over to the table where Jasper sat with the others. He didn't appear to be watching me but something told me he was only too aware of my interest in him.

"Nothing, no, sorry, I guess I just feel a little queasy."

Edward fussed around getting me a glass of water and suggesting I see the school nurse. Yeah, that would be a good, idea I wonder if she had a cure for what ailed me, I doubted it but it might be fun to hear her response!

"I think I'm going to cut classes, go home and lay down for a while."

Edward insisted on going to the office with me and even offered to drive me home but I assured him I would be fine to drive myself and then felt guilty at the sense of relief that filled me as he slowly faded from view in my mirror. I needed time to think, to decide what I should say although there really was only one way this could go. I would have to break it off with Edward, I was only using him to get close to the real object of my desire, an unobtainable one if I were honest, Jasper showed no romantic interest in me, but I could still long from afar at school, until he graduated at the end of the year. Panic filled me as I understood what that would mean, I would never see him again which, in turn, made me sick to my stomach and I was glad when I reached home to find my dad still at work, I didn't think I could have faced him and his inevitable questions right now.

I dropped heavily onto my bed and closed my eyes trying to clear my mind of everything and stop the whirling thoughts from dizzying me further at which point I must have fallen asleep because the next time I opened my eyes I saw I had four messages on my phone and the doorbell was ringing insistently.

With a groan, I heaved myself off the bed and stumbled downstairs to find Edward leaning on the bell.

"Bella, I got worried when you didn't answer my texts. Are you feeling any better?"

Looking over his shoulder at my reflection in the mirror I groaned. Whether I felt any better or not I looked like a wreck with my hair tousled and my eyes still half closed.

"I was asleep, I didn't hear my phone. You woke me up playing a tune on the doorbell."

I sounded cranky but I couldn't help it, I had been asleep and truth be told Edward was the last person I wanted to see right now and I knew it was wrong to keep him hanging on. He looked contrite,

"I'm sorry, I should have been more considerate but I was worried, you haven't been yourself of late."

I did my best to smile,

"I know, a bug or something I think, I'm sorry I snapped at you, Edward."

He pulled me into his arms and held me tight and all the time I was wondering how it would feel to be in Jasper's arms instead which made me feel even more guilty and miserable.

I made some excuse to be alone that evening and Edward reluctantly said goodbye promising to ring later to check on me. It gave me a short respite but I knew I was wrong to lead him on in this way, I would have to tell him the truth or at least a part of it, that I didn't think it was working out between us.

As promised he rang about nine and of course, my dad picked up, the first time he'd done so in months, and from his frosty tone, I knew it must be Edward. I told him I was feeling a little better and promised to see him in school the next day. I considered taking a couple of days off, the cowards way out, but I knew dad wouldn't be happy and he would only blame Edward as usual.

 **I'll be away for two weeks now but I'll post as often as I can. Thanks to everyone who reads my stories and those who leave reviews. Love Jules xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

 **Bella**

That night it rained and then the temperature dropped drastically so by morning the sidewalk, steps and road were slick and potentially hazardous so I drove very slowly to school noticing that the Cullen vehicles were already in the parking lot, all except Edwards shiny Volvo which was a relief. At least I could get into class without him badgering me about my health.

I was so busy thinking about how I would tell him that I didn't take notice of the icy patches, consequently, when I slipped I went down fast but I never hit the sidewalk. Instead, I found a strong arm steadying me and looked up expecting to see that it had been Edward who swooped in as my savior.

Shock ran through me when I gazed into the eyes of his brother, my dream man, Jasper Hale. He smiled as he made sure I regained my balance but there was something else in his expression, a kind of puzzlement followed by a flash of something else that was gone before I could recognize it.

"Are you OK, Bella? That could have been nasty."

His mellow voice with its soft southern drawl washed over me and I felt myself blush as I stammered a thank you, only too aware of his touch, his proximity, and trembled slightly.

"Let me help you inside, you should sit down for a moment."

I nodded like one of those brainless nodding dogs you saw on the parcel shelf of cars and cursed myself for not having anything witty or even coherent to say.

"Thank you."

It was lame and repetitive but his nearness was doing strange things to me. Then Jasper stiffened and whipped his arm away from me leaving me feeling cold and unsure of myself and Edward's voice floated into my consciousness, so that was why Jasper withdrew his hand from my arm.

"What's going on? What happened? Is Bella OK?"

"She is now but she nearly took a bad tumble."

I looked over at Edward,

"Jasper saved me."

Edward did not look happy but then he never did when Jasper was close to me, did he sense there was something more? That I held a secret passion for his brother?

"Thanks but I've got her now.."

As if dismissed Jasper moved away but at the corner, he halted and turned to look back in our direction. Our eyes locked and he smiled but there was the same puzzled look I had seen earlier and I knew that somehow my feelings for him had passed between us and I blushed a deeper red. Edward noticed but appeared to misunderstand the reason for it.

"Don't worry, Bella we all know what a klutz you are sometimes. I'm amazed you managed that hike without breaking something. There's no need to feel embarrassed in front of Jazz.."

I was angry that he would assume I would be embarrassed because I tripped up, it sounded like he found my lack of coordination amusing. I glared at him but then it struck me that he wasn't happy he'd found me so close to his brother, maybe he was jealous. He'd never liked the thought of anyone else getting close to me including his own siblings. It was time to tell Edward it wasn't working out between us, I liked him, a lot, but I didn't love him any more or at least not enough.

 **Jasper**

I don't know what had made me linger in the shadows waiting for Bella to arrive after the others had continued into school. Truth be told there was something about Bella that drew me in. I liked to be around her, she made me feel alive, something I hadn't felt for a very long time. The family had done their best, I'd been a wreck when Alice persuaded me to join her in finding the Cullens. Their way of life had been tempting, anything to save me from the terrible guilt and pain I felt whenever I killed to quench my thirst.

For a time it had worked, the struggle had been gargantuan but I had persevered and slowly I found I could control my cravings well enough to feed solely on animals although their blood never entirely quenched my thirst, I knew only human blood could do that. Recently though I had become restless as if I were waiting for a sign, something to tell me what I should do next and then Bella arrived in our lives. At first, I had thought Edward crazy to involve us with a human but she was the first I had known who was not instinctively afraid of us. It hadn't been easy hiding all the traits that made us different but we persisted for his sake.

My confusion had become clearer the more I saw of her, I was being drawn ever closer to the fragile human girl. I didn't want to harm her but I wanted to know her, to get closer to her and had to hide the yearning from Edward. If he read in my mind that I was drawn to Bella I would probably find myself in serious trouble, Edward was very possessive and wouldn't take kindly to my interest in his girl.

I had deliberately kept my distance, staying just close enough that the warm glow I felt in her presence still reached me but far enough away that my desire didn't become apparent. I had noticed her glancing in my direction from time to time but I wasn't sure why Edward couldn't read her thoughts and I couldn't sense her emotions. We were so used to relying on our gifts that we were rusty at picking up the signs any other way.

I would have liked to speak to someone about this being out of my depth but I dare not speak to anyone in the family, that would be courting disaster as they always stuck together and would back Edward's prior claim to her as his girlfriend. There was always Charlotte but that meant involving Peter, something I would never do as he couldn't keep his mouth shut and was sure to turn up trying to help but would just cause mayhem. No, this was one problem I would have to deal with alone.

It hit me like a bolt of lightening as I touched her when I stopped her falling, I felt it flow through me and knew the truth, Bella wasn't in love with Edward, she was drawn to me just as I was drawn to her and now I had to decide just what to do with this information. She had felt the frisson of excitement and love when we touched, just as I did, it was the first time I was able to read her emotions and I was sure of it, now what would she do? Or did she not recognize it for what it really was?

Although I tried to stay away from Bella after that momentous discovery it was almost impossible, my feet moved of their own volition whenever she was at the house and I would find myself hovering close by. I knew she was aware of my presence and she was acting more distant towards Edward but would she ditch him? Or would she try to kid herself that what she felt for me was mere smoke and mirrors? I wanted to speak to her, tell her how I felt but I could not encroach on Edwards territory, she was still his girlfriend, at least for now.

 **Bella**

The next day I was late and didn't get to speak to Edward although I had made up my mind to talk to him today come what may. Then he vanished at lunchtime saying he felt ill which was odd when I noticed all the Cullens were missing from the cafeteria. It was a shame because the sun had finally broken through the usual heavy cloud and we could have found a quiet spot to talk. I wasn't entirely sure my ensuing bad mood was because I had lost another chance to tell Edward how I felt or because I didn't see Jasper. All afternoon I was distracted and not concentrating on my lessons and ended up in trouble during chemistry when I blew up a test tube and filled the lab with acrid smoke. For that I got an extra paper to write on lab safety, just what I needed with a bag already bulging with homework.

The next day they were all absent once more and again I felt miserable. I'd called the house but no one answered nor did Edward when I rang his cell phone and then I overheard one of the school secretaries say that the family had all gone hiking and now nice it was that a foster family was so close. That's not what I was thinking when I heard it. So, Edward was too sick to come to school then went off hiking without a word to me, his girlfriend. I had a rant to Angie who burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Bella, you told me the other day there was someone else in the picture and now you're acting all upset because Edward didn't ring you! I think you'd better get your head together girl."

She was right of course and I ended up laughing myself. I also realized Edward had given me a good reason to start a conversation that would end up with me calling it a day. Not very nice I know but I was getting desperate.

When he finally reappeared on Friday morning I told him we needed to talk and he just looked confused but agreed that I would drive over and pick him up at 7 then we could go for a drive. I discouraged him from picking me up because I wanted to be able to drive home alone after the "talk". I felt much better for the rest of the day, partly because I had made the first move in breaking up but mainly because I saw Jasper again and this time he made a point of coming over to speak to me. He'd heard about my nightmare lab class and offered to help me with my paper and I was only too glad to accept although I knew when Edward found out he would be less than happy.

Unfortunately, like all the best-laid plans it was ruined when I arrived to pick Edward up only to find that a friend of the family had chosen today to make a surprise visit. I had gone inside mainly to see Jasper if he was around and say hi to the others possibly for the last time and walked straight into their guest.

How was it possible that these beautiful people had a friend just as gorgeous? It was a crime, I had never seen anyone this handsome outside the Cullen family before and I have to admit to being flattered at first although I felt nothing romantic for the handsome stranger with the long glossy dark hair pulled back in a ponytail and dark glasses that made his eyes look a strange reddish brown. True Ezra was good looking and entertaining, but I was in love with someone else, just not the person I should have been!

There was something that struck me as odd about him, he made me feel a little uncomfortable with his intense look and although Carlisle introduced him to me as an old friend of his I got the impression that Carlisle was a little wary of him which was weird. He and I were never left alone together not for a second, Edward hovered over me but then that was nothing new, he did get a little intense. What was strange was Jasper's behavior, he stood at a distance but seemed like a coiled snake, ready to strike at a moment's notice and I began to feel more uneasy in the stranger's presence.

Edward insisted we leave after half an hour with only a cursory goodbye to Ezra and on the way home he berated me for showing the newcomer too much attention.

'You shouldn't draw attention to yourself like that Bella, it gives off the wrong signals."

For a second I was too shocked to answer, how dare he blame me! But then I told him bluntly that he was overreacting, that I had been polite to a friend of the family and no more. I was so angry I couldn't even think about explaining how I felt about us, in fact, I couldn't get anything through clenched teeth and as he walked me to my door it occurred to me that he would have to walk home which would serve him right.

At the door he snapped at me, telling me to stay away from the house the following day until he came over to get me and I was just about to tell him to go to hell when my dad just had to open the front door and from the look on his face he had heard everything.

He and dad had words which led to my dad barring him from the house. Edward stormed away and dad and I had a blazing row which resulted in my being grounded, so a great result all round! I hoped by the next day temper's would be cooled and my dad might reconsider but he was adamant and stubborn! So, I was stuck with the result, I would just have to wait to tell Edward that we were over, when he deigned to contact me next. His reaction to Ezra and the orders he had dished out had been the final straw in our relationship quite separate from my feelings for his brother.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

 _ **Bella**_

My dad was happier than ever now he had put some distance between Edward and I while I found it difficult to wait having finally made the decision to end our relationship cursing the fact I hadn't taken advantage of our argument to do so. The other thing, which was much harder, was not seeing Jasper. If only this had happened during term time and not just as recess began. I could still break the bad news to Edward but then how long would it be before I saw Jasper again? Here I was, stuck at home, grounded except when I was at work and I knew Edward would never come to see me there. He hated that I had a part time job but then his foster family was rich and I knew he had a trust fund set up after his parents died in a car accident. I would have to wait until I went back to school before I would get even a glimpse of Jasper and would have no excuse to be around him although I could use my friendship with Alice, provided she didn't take Edwards part in the breakup. Then I cursed myself for being so manipulative but I was desperate, I didn't think I could live without seeing Jasper again soon.

Edward understood he had pushed both my dad and myself a little too far this time and tried everything to make it up. He was politeness itself when he phoned and my dad answered as he had taken to doing if he was home but he, in turn, wanted nothing to do with Edward and wasn't budging on my grounding.

I had no idea how long this grounding would last but I couldn't see my dad changing his mind any day soon so I decided to ask Edward to meet me after work one day so I could explain the situation to him. Mr. Newton had been ill recently and I was going in every day to help Mrs. Newton or Mike so it would be easy enough for us to meet without dad knowing.

Unfortunately, it would have to be the end of the week because he was off with Carlisle to Rome where they were going to attend a special piano recital.

"I wanted you to go with me but I guess there's no point in asking your father now."

Well, that was true but knowing I would be free of Edward for the whole week and not forced to confront him with my decision for a little longer I went to work more light-hearted than I had in a while. Now if only Jasper could call in for some new hiking boots or something my day would go from OK to perfect.

The store was pretty quiet as it often was on a wet Wednesday afternoon so Mike went off to do a couple of deliveries leaving me to hold the fort. I was just getting some new stock unpacked and shelved when I heard the door open and looked up, startled to see Ezra standing there smiling at me. How had he found out where I worked? Surely Edward hadn't told him and I was pretty sure he'd told me Ezra was leaving town when he and Carlisle did.

"Bella, I was beginning to think I had imagined you. Have you been avoiding me?"

I shook my head inexplicably feeling very uneasy, his attitude was different, more forceful, even his smile seemed threatening and I moved slowly to put the counter between us trying to do so without being too obvious.

"I've been busy and I'm grounded so I couldn't come over. I didn't know you were still here Ezra."

"I was waiting to see you, how could I possibly leave without saying goodbye to such a beautiful woman? Edward has no idea what he has in you, perhaps you should look for someone more…...mature. Someone who understands what you need."

With each word, he took a step closer like a lion stalking its prey and that's just how I felt, stalked. I moved back but he was too close now for me to risk a run for the front of the store, my only hope was the stock room at my back, at least that had a lock.

When he saw what I was doing he moved so fast it was a blur. I felt his steel-like grip on my arm bruising my flesh as he tried to stop me. I yanked hard and his hand slipped on the sleeve of my blouse but as I pulled free I felt two fingers snap and screamed pulling the door closed and scrambling to turn the key in the lock as I heard his laughter from the other side of the door.

Cradling my injured hand I cursed as I realized my cell phone was still in my jacket pocket out of reach in the cloakroom. I would have to hope he got bored and left or Mike returned to save me from his advances. There was only a small window in here but it was barred so there was no way out except through the door.

"Oh Bella, you like to play games? So do I. Let's see who wins this round shall we?"

There was a terrible high pitched screeching sound and his fist came clean through the door just above my head. I screamed again and scrambled backward finally stopped by the far wall, only a few shelves remaining between Ezra and myself now if the door gave way. How had he punched clean through it? I knew it was sheet metal, an anti-theft measure Mike's dad had taken after a burglary that had robbed him of the majority of his stock last year. No man could punch through that, it was impossible yet he had, I'd witnessed it.

I looked around frantically for something I could use as a weapon to fight him off but nothing sprang to mind and then I saw the camping gas cylinders and on another shelf waterproof matches. With fumbling hands and throbbing fingers, I managed to tear the wrapping off the matches and took down two gas canisters.

The door was suddenly thrown open to crash against the wall and as I peeked through the shelves I could see it hanging drunkenly by a single hinge. Standing in the doorway framed by the light was Ezra but this was a different man. He had taken off his shades to reveal bright red eyes that seemed to shine with an inner light, the smile he wore was menacing and he lifted his head to sniff the air then spoke as if reading from a child's fairytale book,

"Fee-Fi-Foe-Fum, I smell the blood of a human girl."

Without stopping to think about it I released the valve on one cylinder and struck a match with my other hand then ignited the stream of gas and aimed it at his face. He moved back incredibly fast, almost a blur, cursing as he did so and I looked for an opening but I was still trapped and the gas ran out in seconds. As I tried to ignite the second he knocked it from my hand and it flew across the room and rolled out of sight among the boxes.

Looking around wildly I saw an open box of camping axes and grabbing one swung it at him. Again he was inhumanly fast catching it blade first in his hand and snatching it from me.

"Well, well, the rabbit has some fire in her, good, I hate to be disappointed."

As he dropped the ax to the floor I noticed there was no sign of him having caught it. Surely his hand should have been bleeding, the axes were sharp enough to cut through branches so his hand should have been a bloody mess but there was nothing and now I was truly terrified. I dropped to the floor, shuddered, and tried to curl into a ball as he approached chuckling as he did so, his boots kicking the scattered boxes out of his way.

"A good start, you have spirit, now come on Bella, run, try to get away, it makes the hunt so much more fun. You're making it far too easy for me."

He stopped, turned, and stood to face the wall, leaving me a clear passage out of the stock room.

"I'll give you a count of twenty as a head start and I promise not to cheat."

With nothing to lose, I streaked out of the stock room, across the store and out into the parking lot hoping to find some customers outside but the lot was empty and Mike was nowhere in sight. Still cradling my damaged hand I ran to my car but it was locked and the keys were back inside with Ezra, I would have to make a run for it.

The highway too was deserted, where was everyone? Usually, the road was busy but the thick black clouds that were threatening a thunderstorm must be putting them off. I headed into the forest hoping the trees would give me some protection, somewhere to hide. It was hard running through them in semi-darkness and I tripped several times, skinning my knees as I fell onto the rough ground and my arms as I pushed through prickles and brambles.

Finally, I stopped to listen trying to gulp air in silently, where was he? Had he really followed me or was he just trying to frighten me? Was this some kind of game to Ezra? If so I wasn't laughing. At first, I could hear nothing but then his low voice reached my ear,

"Coming, ready or not Bella."

I looked around, he couldn't be far behind me but I could see nowhere to hide and I couldn't keep crashing through the undergrowth without giving away my position. I squeezed into the middle of a thick bramble bush ignoring the stinging cuts and blood that began to stain my clothes. I rubbed away the rivulet from a cut on my temple that threatened to obscure my sight and rolled into a ball unable to run any further. All I could do was to hope I was hidden well enough that he would pass me by.

When I next heard his voice it came from behind me and much too close.

"Your scent gives you away Bella, but you do smell delicious. I'm going to enjoy draining your blood, I'm just amazed Edward was able to resist for so long."

An amazingly strong arm snaked around my waist and tore me from my hiding place ripping more gouges in my exposed skin as he did so and I stood almost toe to toe with my stalker. He was no longer the handsome friend of the Cullens or the man who had faced me in the store, this was a monster with red eyes and a look of excitement and hunger. He opened his mouth and his teeth shone white in the gloom, was he really going to rip my throat open and drink my blood? What was he? Unable to break free I stopped struggling and closed my eyes waiting for death at the hands of this strange and terrifying demon.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

 **Jasper**

I was busy finishing a chapter of the book I was writing on the Civil War when Emmett burst into my room.

"Jazz, have you seen Ezra?"

"No, he left with Carlisle and Edward."

"Yeah, I thought so too but his car's parked up at the back of the mall in town, Rose saw it as she drove by."

"He's come back? I haven't heard him arrive but he understands what it will mean if he hunts in Forks. I'll grant you it's odd but maybe he changed vehicles, it wouldn't be the first time he's jacked a car from what I've heard."

Emmett shrugged looking almost embarrassed,

"Yeah, that's what Rose said but he was very interested in Bella when he met her and I just wondered if he might have come back for her remember Edward was out of his mind with jealousy."

"So, you think maybe Ezra fancied his chances with Bella? Maybe if Edward stopped acting like a dick towards her he'd be less worried about losing her. Anyhow, why would Ezra chance something so stupid?"

Again Emmett shrugged,

"I don't know but I don't like it."

Neither did I when I thought about it, I didn't know much about Ezra, I'd never met him before and even Carlisle was a little uncomfortable about him being here but I had put that down to his association with the Volturi. Still, I wasn't going to take any chances, not with Bella's safety knowing what she meant to me. It had been so hard not seeing her but I could hardly just turn up at her door while Edward was banned from the house even with the excuse of the lab safety report.

"Go get Alice then check out the mall, see if he's there and ask Rosalie and Esme to check the Swan house in case he's there. Tell them if they find him not to engage, just hold off unless Bella is in immediate danger and call for me."

As soon as I heard him down the hallway calling for Alice and Esme I left, jumping from the window and making off as fast as I could to town. When I thought about it I was as concerned as Emmett about Ezra's reason for remaining in Forks if indeed he had. The guy had mentioned Bella too many times for my liking, something about her interested him, I could feel that, but it could just have been curiosity at being so close to a human who wasn't afraid of him.

I'd not met him in person before and all Carlisle would say was they had become friends while both were in Volterra at the same time and had kept in contact from time to time. However, it wasn't difficult to tell that Carlisle wasn't comfortable with him being here especially as his surprise arrival meant Bella turned up while he was here. Carlisle had warned him that hunting in this area was forbidden and that Bella was under our protection but I wasn't convinced that was enough.

What I knew and no one else did was that Ezra was a tracker with a record of kills that had only even been beaten by one man...me. His MO was to tracking his quarry for a while before closing in for the kill. He rarely fed on those he killed in this way, not on their blood anyway. His biggest kick was in their fear and pain which fed his hunger.

I'd tried to warn Carlisle but he told me that Ezra wasn't dangerous, that he would never betray a friend's hospitality, that most of what I had heard were myths and that I should know better than to believe all I heard about others. A not so subtle reprimand about my own past deeds and the legend that was The Major.

Until Emmett came crashing into my room I had been under the impression that Ezra had moved on but could I have been wrong? I just hoped my lack of judgment wouldn't result in Bella's death because if he was still here it had to be because of her. I guess I should have taken more notice and taken Emmett with me but I didn't want to see him hurt, he was no match for the tracker. I hoped Ezra had more sense than to kill in the open, in town, and especially the daughter of the Police Chief but if he was in hunting mode who knew?

I had remembered that Bella was working today after I left and made my way unseen to Newton's store. At first, it looked deserted but then I caught Ezra's scent, so I had been right about him. Inside, the place was empty and as I moved to the back of the place I saw the storeroom door hanging at an angle and feared the worst but it too was empty and there was no scent of blood although signs pointed towards a struggle. So where were they now? Had he kidnapped Bella and if so where would he take her?

Retracing my steps I followed the faint signs of a chase, human footprints running into the trees followed more leisurely by boot prints and the scent of Ezra. He was playing out his fantasy with little regard for secrecy which was worrying. Speeding up I tracked them deep into the forest stopping only when I heard ragged breathing and a wildly paced heartbeat.

Parting the foliage carefully I saw Ezra standing over a thicket of brambles smiling broadly. As he reached in and dragged Bella out I moved forward and hearing my footsteps he turned to look over his shoulder, his expression guarded.

"Put her down and step away Ezra."

He smiled shaking Bella like a terrier shakes a rat and I could see she was limp in his grasp, she was faint with terror.

"And if I don't want to, who is going to stop me?"

I didn't answer just stepped forward and his smile widened,

"You? Do you think you are strong enough Jasper Hale? I have centuries on you and friends in high places."

"Put her down, now."

He sighed,

"Very well, if you insist"

With little effort he pulled Bella close and kissed her, his teeth grazing her cheek then inhaled her scent before throwing her limp body across the small clearing.

I caught her just before she hit a tree saving her from serious harm although I thought I heard her arm hit hard as it was thrown outward by the sudden cessation of movement. I wanted to stay with her, make sure she was OK, but I knew if Ezra got away from me that he would continue hunting Bella until he succeeded so I placed her gently on the ground and sprang at him as he prepared to attack.

He was strong but I was stronger and I caught him just as he was about to swing a punch sending him back into the center of the clearing and leaping onto his chest. I grabbed him by the throat and slowly began to squeeze whispering in his ear,

"You shouldn't have done that Ezra, it's not wise to take on your foe before you discover his identity. You chose to fuck with The Major and now you're going to pay the price."

His eyes widened as he realized his mistake but it was too late and although he struggled violently within seconds he was a headless torso. I made a pile of head and torso then set it alight and watched as it flared up to be quickly replaced by a thick pall of smoke. My instincts screamed at me to check Bella but this was a mess that needed cleaning up pronto so I pulled out my cell phone and called Esme explaining to her what the situation was.

"Leave it with us Jazz, we'll get to the store and see if we can clear up before anyone else arrives. Wasn't there anyone else working? I can't imagine Bella being there on her own."

"If there was I didn't see any sign and I have to go."

Bella was sitting up when I reached her side looking stunned and terrified so I picked her up and steadied her.

"Are you OK Bella? Are you hurt?"

She gazed at me but I don't think it registered who I was at first because she struggled to get free and then I saw recognition flair in her eyes and she looked around wildly as she stammered suffering from shock,

"Jasper? What happened? Where is he? It was Ezra, he just went crazy threatening to drink my blood, he was hunting me like I was a deer."

"Shush Bella, you're safe now, he's gone and he won't be coming back.."

She glanced at the few wisps of smoke still curling from the pyre then frowned,

"Are you sure? He was…..I hit him with an ax but it didn't even graze him and he was so strong and quick. what's going on? What...who is he?"

She began to shake as the shock took hold and her legs buckled under her so I lifted her into my arms and felt a strange sensation in my chest, for the first time I felt the glow that comes from being close to your mate but for now she needed medical help, warmth, and somewhere to rest quietly. I couldn't take her home or to the clinic until I had spoken to her and explained that she must keep quiet about what she had seen. Things were totally messed up right now.

 **Esme**

Edward would be incandescent with rage once he found out what had happened, not to mention terrified for Bella, but he was too far away to be of any help so I put off calling him. Instead Rose and I sped to the store calling Alice and Emmett to join us and explained the situation.

"Bella's safe enough now and it's up to us to cover Ezra's tracks before the cops see something they shouldn't have. Any strange circumstances and the Volturi are sure to hear about it so let's get to it."

We arrived at Newton's store only to find Mike already there standing in the parking lot looking confused and frightened. We were too late to hide anything now but we needed to find out what, if anything, he had seen in order to understand just how much danger we were in, so while Rose and I took him to one side Emmett and Alice went inside to inspect the damage.

I tried to find out just what if anything the white-faced boy had seen.

"Are you OK Mike?"

He shook his head,

"I don't know, I...I went out on a delivery and when I got back Bella was gone and the store had been left unlocked. It looks like there's been a fight inside, empty gas canisters and an ax on the floor and the storeroom door's almost torn off its hinges. I'm worried about Bella, what if she's been abducted? I rang the police, they'll be here any minute. They told me to wait for them out here and not to go back inside."

I groaned inwardly, things were moving too fast, we were too late to hide the evidence, Mike had seen too much to make that an option so what now? Thank goodness he hadn't witnessed the attack itself. Bella must know what Ezra was or at least know things about him that would be dangerous if she spoke about them but at least Jasper had that under control. The question was could we put the police off the scent long enough to give him time to escape?

Emmett and Alice came out of the store just as Chief Swan turned up, along with two other cruisers, and they all ran inside. We needed a story to cover our appearance here so leaving Rose with Mike I explained our cover story to the others.

"If anyone asks we arrived here to look at rucksacks and found Mike in the parking lot."

"What about Bella?"

"We can't say anything Emmett, it's too dangerous, besides she's safe enough with Jasper. Let's see what Chief Swan has to say first and please, let me do the talking."

He didn't like it but didn't argue, there wasn't time as the cops were emerging from the store and looking around suspiciously.

Chief Swan approached looking stunned as the other police erected a cordon and looked for any sign of where Bella may have gone. I explained we had just arrived at the store and hadn't seen anything except Mike who was still standing with Rose and trembling slightly. I listened as the Chief spoke to Mike who just verified what he had told me and then radioed for more help and for a search party to be raised to look for his daughter. He even had the tracker dogs on their way and I knew it was vital for Jasper to get Bella away and not to the house for fear Chief Swan might want to search the place, after all, Edward was her boyfriend and we were here at the very place and at the very time Bella had disappeared.

We joined the initial search party and once we had separated from any potential listeners I rang Jasper once more to find out how Bella was.

"She's out cold, shock I think. She doesn't seem to be badly injured, cuts and bruises mostly. I got there just in time."

I told him of the search parties and tracker dogs then suggested he get Bella well away from Forks. It was all we could do until we discovered just how much she knew and could then decide on a plan of action.

Soon the forest was full of searchers including, worryingly enough, some of the Quileutes although so far they were paired with the less able trackers and couldn't therefore phase. Alice slipped away at the first opportunity to try to find Jasper and Bella while Emmett, Rose and I remained, joined by Mike and his dad although we knew there was nothing to find, Ezra was ashes and Bella long gone. I pulled Rose away for a moment so we could speak in private, not that anyone would hear in the chaos of the search party organization.

"I have to call Carlisle. The Quileutes might consider breaking the treaty, they must have known there was a strange vampire in the area and they will soon connect him with Bella's disappearance, Carlisle needs to talk to the Quileute elders."

"OK, I'll make your excuses but we'd better stay until they scale down the search at dusk, that won't be long."

Rose was right, an hour later the majority of the searchers were called back as they lost the light and I was able to slip away.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

 **Sue Clearwater**

When the news arrived that Bella was missing, possibly kidnapped, Sam and the rest of the pack were called back home. They had been tracking a nomad who had been staying with the Cullens before heading off to make sure he had really left the area. One of the routine patrols that had been set up when the Cullens arrived in Forks, which caused the guys to begin phasing, reported crossing the trail of the nomad heading back to Forks the previous day before losing his scent in the river. Sam wanted to set the pack loose in the forest which bordered the river sure he was responsible but by day that was impossible, not while it was teeming with police and volunteers searching for Bella and all equipped with hunting rifles. Quil ordered Sam to offer their help to the police, to Charlie, and stay in human form. If Bella hadn't been found her by dusk then the pack could take over, the humans would be safely out of the forest then as it was impossible to search by night.

I joined Harry and we made our way to Quil's for a meeting of the elders and found everyone else already there waiting for our arrival although it seemed the meeting had already started from Billy's frown.

"We should have let the pack loose Quil, it's Bella that's missing, Charlie's girl."

"I understand that but the safety of the tribe comes first Billy, if we are discovered by the townsfolk many of the pack could be injured or killed, remember the people tracking Bella are also experienced hunters and will shoot a wolf on sight. Besides, Bella is partly responsible for her plight, if she chooses to ignore warnings and associate with the Cullens then she puts herself at risk. I grieve for her but I will not put our guardians in danger in order to find her."

I was upset by our leader's cold attitude to the situation,

"But she has no idea what the Cullens really are, Quil, and Charlie would never survive losing his daughter."

"If the vampire had wanted to kill Bella we would have found her drained and mutilated body by now Sue, and so far there is nothing, we have time and at sunset, the pack can go out and track her down safely. We have no idea if this vampire is really alone or if he has others close by. So, until then, we wait."

"There's more to this isn't there Quil? You are being particularly cautious under the circumstances."

He nodded in response to Harry's accusation, his lined face troubled,

"Yes, there is. The creature who has been at the Cullen house recently is no mere nomad. He is one of the Volturi trackers and I would prefer not to focus their attention on our tribe, it could be extremely dangerous for us all."

"So we're just going to let him get away with Bella? Because you are afraid of the consequences of acting?"

Everyone stiffened at the accusation of cowardice thrown at Quil but he ignored it.

"It is my duty to be concerned for our tribe Billy, all our people. Besides, we are not the only ones with a good chance of finding Bella. I would imagine the Cullens are hot on his trail, after all, it will not reflect well on them if she vanishes permanently, it will put the spotlight on them, something no creature trying to hide in plain sight wants."

"So we're leaving Bella's fate in their hands? As her only hope? That stinks."

Quil didn't answer Jake who thus far, as the pack's representative, had remained silent. He was angry now, struggling to remain in human form but he knew Quil's word was law and the pack must obey.

When the meeting broke up Jake accompanied us back to the house still furious but bound by Quil's command in lieu of Sam's. I knew how fond of Bella he had been and it must be torture having to wait here for the order to join the search. Harry thought Sam and Quil had done this on purpose, Jake being the last of the pack to phase and therefore the least controlled.

"Do you think the Cullens can find Bella and save her?"

Harry glanced at Jake who kicked out viciously at a stone which flew through the air to shatter against a boulder sending shards flying in every direction. A sure sign he was only just holding it together and that Quil had been right to keep him in the village.

Once home I made coffee and Emily joined us waiting for news from Sam so leaving her together with Jake and Seth I motioned for Harry to join me outside.

"What should we do?"

"Nothing right now, chances are they will either find a body or Bella alive if she's lucky, we have no idea why he snatched her and I'm sure if the Cullens can they'll bring her back. There's no point in saying anything until we have some solid information."

"It just doesn't seem right Harry, we promised to keep Bella safe."

"And we did to the best of our ability but we can't be held responsible for her actions, she's almost a woman now. Leave it Sue, for a while. I must go into town, the search parties will be coming back soon, it's almost nightfall. Keep an eye on Jake, I guess if there's no news Sam will order him to join the pack soon enough which will be a relief."

I watched Harry drive out of sight before rejoining the others in the house. Emily and Jake were sitting silent and grave and Seth looked from one to the other before turning to me,

"They will find Bella, won't they? Why would anyone want to kidnap her? Bella's such a good person, they have to find her, mom."

"I'm sure they will, whoever took her probably tried to rob the store and panicked when he discovered her there alone. He'll probably drop her off somewhere along the road."

Jake snorted,

"Yeah. like that's gonna happen."

I shot him a warning look and he shrugged,

"Sorry but I don't think we should be lying to Seth,"

I could have slapped him for that, now Seth was suspicious and I had no idea what to tell him but Jake went straight ahead explaining what the Cullens really were and how it was a vampire who had kidnapped Bella. As I watched helplessly my son went pale, his eyes wide with shock as he turned to me for confirmation. I couldn't lie to him now so I just nodded,

"It's true Seth but the Cullens wouldn't harm Bella, it would break the treaty and allow us to kill them all. Carlisle doesn't want a war any more than we do."

"What about the Volturi? You think they are going to shy away from a war if we find Bella and kill the vamp who took her? I say we strike first and hard, catch them off guard."

Jake had made it quite clear that's what he wanted but it wasn't going to happen, not while Sam ruled the pack and Quil led the elders. I, on the other hand, was torn between what was the best thing to do and my loyalty to a friend. After thinking things over I decided to leave it for a day, if Bella wasn't found by then I would make contact and explain what had happened, whatever Harry or Quil said.

 **Charlie**

It was good to see so many people turn out to look for Bella in the forest which is where we found a scrap of her work blouse caught on a low-hanging branch and I had patrols out on the back roads looking out for any strange cars. Further afield the Port Angeles force had put all their spare resources into watching the roads too. If she had been abducted then whoever he was, if he tried to drive out of the area with her the chances were we would catch him. I couldn't see any abductor dragging his prisoner through the forest, where the hell would he take her? True the weather was pretty reasonable but there were only a few scattered hunting shacks between here and the mountains and Bella was no hiker.

No one had seen what happened or who had caused the damage at the store and there were no strange cars parked close by. My first inclination would have been to check out the stranger staying with the Cullens, I hadn't liked the look of him when Carlisle introduced us in town but Esme told me he had left with Carlisle and Edward so who were we looking for and if he had Bella what did he want with her? Could it be someone I had put away? That didn't seem very likely, the criminals we caught in Forks were mainly bullies taking it out on their wives, drunk drivers, or the odd drug or burglary busts but it couldn't be ruled out. I had Debs on the phone at headquarters and if any message came in from the abductor she would patch it through, in the meantime, she was checking on the whereabouts of anyone I had arrested who might have a grudge against me.

The Quileute boys helped out as I had known they would, after all, they knew the forest like the back of their hands, the same could be said of Henry and his bloodhounds and if they couldn't track Bella down then no one could. As dusk fell I knew I would have to call a halt to the search or we might well destroy a trace, a footprint or other marker that Bella had passed this way but everyone promised to be back at the muster point at daybreak and I thanked as many as I could personally.

I noticed some of the Cullens were still here and I decided to question them before they left.

"Just a minute, I'd like to ask you a few questions before you leave if that's OK. The guy who was staying with you, Esme said he'd left but are you sure?"

Emmett glanced at Rosalie who answered for them.

"Yes, we're sure Chief Swan, do you have any idea what happened yet?"

I shook my head in reply to her question, of the Cullens she was the one I had least dealings with so I didn't dislike her as much as Edward.

"No, I don't but I soon will. I have guys lifting prints from the store, hopefully, they will give us a lead. Thanks for helping in the search by the way. I take it Edward went on his trip to Italy with Carlisle?"

Of course, I didn't think for one moment he had anything to do with this but it paid to be thorough.

"Yes, they won't be back until Friday night."

I hated the thought of Bella out there in the forest with some crazy guy or alone and lost but in the dark there was little more I could do, there wasn't even a moon for light just thick dark clouds that obscured everything, I had no choice but to wait until dawn to start the search again.


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter Ten**_

 _ **Jasper**_

I decided it would be wise to listen to Esme and keep Bella away from Forks for now, after all, we had no idea how things would work out but either way, I intended to keep her safe, I had to, she was my future even if she didn't yet know it. So, I climbed the steep trail up the mountain to a cabin near the summit that we used from time to time. Bella was still unconscious so I hurriedly collected wood enough to light a fire and keep it going long enough to warm her up and thanked Esme silently for insisting it was kept supplied with emergency items to help any humans stranded up here if the weather closed in.

Soon there was a fire spreading its warmth through the small cabin and soup heating on a camping stove while a pan of water boiled balanced on a log at the edge of the crackling fire. As it would be getting dark soon I lit an oil lamp and placed it on the small table beside the long wooden seat I had placed Bella on wrapped in the blankets I found folded neatly in a closet wrapped in plastic to keep out the damp. When she came to I didn't want her to be in the dark, she would be disoriented enough as it was.

Seating myself far enough away that I wouldn't appear threatening I sat watching as Bella slowly came round, I'd strapped her arm against her side fearing it may be fractured although I suspected it was just badly bruised but the three fingers which were quite obviously broken I had bandaged and splinted together. She could probably do with some medical help but none of her injuries was life threatening. Mostly they were cuts and scrapes from the brambles and stumbling as she fled from Ezra. I was more worried about her mental state right now. After the ordeal she had been through she would be in shock and I wanted to reassure her that she was safe here with me.

 _ **Bella**_

I felt warm soft blankets around me and thought for a moment I was home safe in bed after a terrible nightmare but then I remembered what had happened and tried to sit up but my arm hurt so much and I could feel the sting of bramble scratches on my hands and arms, the sorest of all though were on my face. I heard a soft reassuring voice and opened my eyes to see Jasper Hale only feet from me and looking around could see we were in a cabin but I had no idea how we got here, the last thing I remembered was…flying through the air before hitting something hard.

He stretched out a hand to help me as I struggled to sit up but I drew away, I needed to know what had happened before I dare trust him, after all the ….I had been attacked by a friend of his family. He nodded his understanding and sat back waiting until I was settled on the couch and then handed me a tin mug of steaming soup.

"It's OK Bella, you're safe now, I won't hurt you. Try to drink that, it will help to settle you. Then we can deal with things, I'm sure you must have a thousand questions for me."

I put a shaking hand to my face and it came away sticky with half congealed blood.

"They aren't too bad, most are shallow but they need bathing when you finish that."

He nodded to the mug and I lifted it to my lips clumsily left handed, my right was strapped to my side and I began to feel the pain of it but as quickly as it came I felt it ebb away.

Sipping the hot liquid gingerly I regarded my companion, I remembered seeing him in the forest just as Ezra was about to kill me. I recalled flying through the air and crashing to earth after hitting a tree but nothing more. Then the threats Ezra had made came back to me and how terrified I had been of him. Jasper had saved me from the madman somehow but where was I and where and what was Ezra? He had been too fast and strong to be a mere man but I didn't believe in Superman or monsters so what was he?

I opened my mouth to speak then decided to pull myself together before quizzing Jasper. He smiled reassuringly,

"I promise I'll explain everything Bella but first let's get you cleaned up."

Jasper poured some hot water into a bowl and added something that I recognized as antiseptic then used a soft cloth to wipe the blood from my face while I sat quietly feeling nervous and shaking slightly although I think it was shock not fear of him. The feel of his cool fingers against my skin, the intimacy of the act made my heart beat fast and I couldn't look away from those mesmerizing golden eyes at least not until I remembered the other's bright red orbs that had burned into my skull.

"Where am I?"

"A cabin in the mountains, I thought it the safest place for now."

"Why…...I mean how come you found me in the forest? And what was Ezra, he said some really sick things and he was so fast, so strong, it was superhuman. Jasper, I don't understand what's going on or why are we here and not at the clinic in town. Where is he? And what do you mean by safe enough? "

He sat back on his heels still holding the cloth now stained pink with my blood and I noticed his eyes that had been a light gold when I first looked into them were now much darker, almost toffee colored although still hypnotizing.

"What do you remember Bella?"

I told him everything from the time Ezra walked into Newtons and he nodded his head.

"I will explain but I need a promise from you in return, nothing I say can be repeated, not even to your father, in fact, especially not him."

"Why? I can't do that, Ezra needs to be captured and locked away, he's mad."

"Ezra won't be hurting anyone again and I really need that promise Bella or I can't take you home, it will be too dangerous."

I tensed,

"You can't keep me here, my dad will hunt us down and then you'll be the one in danger."

"Your father doesn't concern me, he's the least of my worries right now Bella. Maybe it's best if we just keep moving until I find out what the score is."

Coming from anyone else those words would have sounded arrogant but from Jasper they were so matter of fact it scared me more,

"Let me go, you can't force me to go anywhere with you. I want to go home."

He smiled sadly,

"I'm sure you do Bella but I can't allow it until I know you it is safe for you to do so. In the meantime, I'm afraid you are stuck with me but you will be safe."

"So you keep telling me but why should I believe you? If you know anything about that madman you should be out there hunting him down before he kills someone."

He sighed,

"I'm afraid it's too late for that and I am just going to ask you to trust me for now."

I shook my head although I wanted to so badly, I still found him incredibly attractive but the memory of Ezra frightened me so much I couldn't.

"I don't just give out trust like that if you want me to trust you then take me home."

I pulled away snatching the cloth from him as he tried to continue wiping my wounds and threw it into the flames immediately feeling ashamed of acting like a petulant child but he just ignored it and stood up.

"I need to make a call Bella but there's hot water for you to clean up and this…"

He threw me his sweater,

"You can't go on wearing that ripped blouse and it's too thin to keep you warm. I won't be far, just outside."

As soon as he shut the door I pulled the sweater over my ragged blouse and crept to the window. He stood just outside the door as he had said and by straining I could hear most of his side of the conversation.

 **Jasper**

Bella wasn't going quietly but she would be going like it or not depending on the news I got from Esme.

"Jasper? Thank God, how is Bella? I've spoken to Carlisle and he and Edward are getting the next flight home."

"Good, we might need him to talk to the Quileutes, make sure they know we weren't responsible for Bella's disappearance but I'm not sure that will be enough, they might feel we are guilty by 's a good job Edward has an alibi too, or he might find himself locked up by Bella's father."

"Carlisle's already spoken to the elders but I'm afraid as you feared they blame us because Ezra was staying with us at the time. They plan on hunting you down and bringing Bella home. We didn't need to tell them Ezra was dead, they found the funeral pyre and once it's dark the wolves will be looking for you."

"Then I guess we need to keep moving."

"You need to get away, far away from here, and stay hidden until Carlisle can speak to the Volturi and see what they know If they find out Bella is on the run with knowledge of us you might find yourself running from them too. What a mess and all because Carlisle's friend decided to spring a surprise visit on him."

"You'd better tell Carlisle to save his breath, Ezra was still a member of the Volturi and I guess by killing him I've just put myself on the top of their shit list. Don't worry, I'll keep Bella safe but I won't contact you again, that would be far too dangerous, they might be monitoring our communications. Look after yourself, Esme."

I disconnected and slipped the sim card out of my phone crushing the instrument into a ball and throwing it into the trees. I would dump the tiny card later but for now, we needed to get moving. The Volturi would take some time to mobilize but the wolves would be here in an hour too and I didn't want Bella anywhere near a fight between myself and the pack, she could get hurt. It wouldn't be easy disappearing with a reluctant hostage but it could be done. Sighing I turned back and saw Bella's white face disappear from the window, well, she couldn't have heard much but just enough to scare her more than she already was. With a soft curse, I opened the door and walked back into the cabin.

I wasn't expecting an attack right away and the chair hit me in the face with all the force she could muster single handed. The wood split into pieces leaving her with the back staring at me in disbelief then she threw the rest at me and ran to the rear of the cabin struggling with the rusted lock. I grabbed her hand and pulled her gently around to look into her face,

"That was a dumb move, Bella, considering I'm the one trying to keep you safe."

She pulled free scowling at me,

"I heard you out there, you killed Ezra that's why you weren't concerned about him. I'm trapped here with a confessed killer."

"It was him or you, would you have preferred it if I'd let him kill you instead?"

"Of course not, but that's not the point. You keep telling me you are going to keep me safe but from who? And why am I in danger?"

"Is that all the questions you want answering because we don't have a lot of time."

She lashed out in frustration and caught me on the cheek which only infuriated her more when I didn't flinch and she hurt the palm of her hand.

"Look, Bella, I know right now you are scared and confused and I promise I will explain everything just not now it's too complicated."

She was staring at me as she rubbed her hand on her pants and I knew she was wondering why I hadn't reacted and at the strange feel of my skin probably remembering the same cold hard feeling of Edward's too and putting two and two together. She backed away a little putting the table between us.

"Just what are you? Ezra felt the same, Edward, too but I guess I didn't allow myself to wonder then. Are you hiding because of me or because someone is looking for you?"

She was smart but then I already knew that although I could have hoped she might wait a little longer to have the light bulb in her head flash in understanding.

"I'm in no danger from the Quileutes, they're my friends which means they are hunting for you. Am I a hostage? Is that why you won't take me home?"

She glanced at the hearth and I could see her judging whether she could reach the heavy metal bar used as a poker before I reached her. I didn't wait for her to decide just knocked her out with a heavy dose of lethargy, picked her up and started running.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

 **Carlisle**

Edward was beside himself, he blamed himself for leaving Bella alone and unprotected, easy prey for Ezra even after I pointed out that as far as we were aware our guest had left the area before we did.

"But I knew he was interested in Bella, I should have anticipated something like this."

"Well, Bella is safe thanks to Jasper, all we have to do is sort out the mess and then she can come home. For now, Jasper is doing the right thing, keeping her safe and out of sight."

Edward grimaced,

"I know and much as it hurts me to admit it he's the best qualified to do so."

That took courage, Edward had never before admitted that Jasper was the better fighter and I squeezed his shoulder in recognition.

"Yes, he is, especially as Ezra is a tracker and was once a member of the Volturi."

"The Volturi? I hadn't thought about them, do you think they will know what happened? What do you think they'll do Carlisle?"

"Chances are I'm afraid that they will know, they check up on me from time to time so we must assume they know or will do very soon which means not only do I need to speak to the Quileute elders I also need to get in contact with Aro and let him know that we have the situation in hand."

What I didn't say although it concerned me even more than Ezra's death was what the Volturi would do about Bella. I could only hope they would accept my assurance that she knew nothing of our world.

My first call was to Quil Ateara, they were on the scene and therefore able to act much more quickly although I wasn't sure he would even agree to speak to me under the circumstances but I underestimated him.

"I thought I might be hearing from you Doctor Cullen, what do you have to say?"

"Only that we are not responsible for the actions of our visitor but will do our best to sort the situation out. He is dead, killed by one of us and Bella is safe. Once we are sure she saw nothing that could be dangerous to us she will be returned to her father."

He snorted,

"So you want me to take your word for this and call the pack off? And why so shy, it was The Major who killed your house guest and has taken Bella against her will. The pack intends to hunt him down and free Bella to return to her father, as for keeping your secret, that will be her choice, not yours."

"If she tells anyone about us then I'm afraid your secret may come out too and neither of us wants that. Jasper will not harm Bella, we just need you to give us a little time to sort things out. Please, we haven't broken the treaty."

"If our secret were to become public then I doubt anyone would b e looking to kill us, you, on the other hand, would find yourself in a very dangerous position, forced to fight for your existence against the very people you say you try to protect. We will keep that secret for now but I will not call the pack off, Bella must be reunited with her father or there will be severe consequences."

He severed the connection then and all I had achieved was a stay of execution but for how long?

I tried to call Jasper to warn him but it went straight to voicemail and I was only able to leave a message and hope he picked it up soon. Dialling Volterra I hoped to have better luck with convincing Aro and as soon as he answered I could tell he knew something of the events that had taken place here recently.

"I wondered how long it would be before I heard from you old friend. I take it this isn't a social call?"

"No, I thought you should be told that we have encountered some trouble in Forks."

"Remember I did warn you that moving so close to the Quileute tribal lands was a bad idea and it sounds as if I have just been proved right."

"Yes you did, but I want you to know it is under control."

"How very convenient for you if that were the case but somehow I doubt you would be so eager to speak to me if that were so. I get the impression that you are concerned I might hear about it from another source first. Well, I'm listening, tell me your side of the story."

Careful to stick to the bare facts I explained that Ezra had kidnapped a human girl, a girl that Edward had become close to and had been killed in order to save her life.

"I see, but I fear you may have left out a few important facts my friend. I can't see Edward being capable of killing someone as skilled in fighting as Ezra even with his gift. So who did kill Ezra?"

"Edward wasn't even in the country at the time, it was Jasper who stepped in to save her life."

"The Major? Really? Why?"

There was something odd in Aro's tone but before I had the chance to work out what it was he continued his questioning.

"How much does this girl know?"

"Nothing, she believes us human, we've been extremely careful."

"Not careful enough if you allow another vampire to meet her in your house. What did you expect Ezra to do? Shake her hand and say hello then forget her? You know the law Carlisle, better than most yet you allowed this relationship to go on unchecked, I expected better of you. Still...where is the girl now?"

"I don't know, only that she is safe with Jasper who is keeping her hidden until we can sort out the mess."

"Mess?" Explain."

I told him about the Quileute hunt for Bella and the identity of her father."

"I see, but I doubt the Quileutes will find Bella if The Major is in control of the situation. I'm sure he can arrange for her body to be found in such a way that it appears the person who assaulted and kidnapped her was a common human criminal, he's extremely good at covering his tracks."

"Please Aro, surely it isn't necessary to kill Bella, she's the innocent party in this."

"Innocent or not it is the best result and you should move your "family" from the area as soon as possible without causing any suspicion. Leave the rest to me."

I pleaded with him to spare Bella but I could tell he wasn't interested in listening.

"Jasper considers her as a friend of the family, he won't be willing to kill her without a very good reason."

"The Major will do as he always does Carlisle, obey orders and so should you if you want to keep your family safe. Our laws are put in place to protect our kind from just such problems as this, you should have respected them. I'll be in touch again soon, for now, do nothing to draw unwanted attention to yourselves. Do I make myself clear?"

He had and I knew he meant every word he said, if I or any of the family attempted to help Bella now we would be in breach of Volturi law and subject to prosecution and possibly a quick execution, Aro had tied our hands and I would be the one left to break the bad news to my family.

I was about to send Jasper another message warning him of Aro's intentions but stopped as his words finally sank in, "The Major will do as he always does, obey orders" what exactly did that mean? Jasper had no master to give him orders, he was a free man since he escaped from Maria. Aro's words disturbed me.

Deciding it was more important to explain to the family what Aro had said than puzzling out his enigmatic words I rang Esme back. She listened in silence but I could hear how upset she was when she finally spoke.

"But we can't just abandon them, Carlisle what about Bella? What if she still knows nothing? Surely Aro can't mean to have her executed if she is ignorant? Jasper won't allow it."

"I don't think Aro really cares what she may or may not know. The easiest way to stop any trouble will be for Bella's body to be found, the victim of a human abductor. For now, I want you to tell the others to keep quiet and do nothing, it's the only way to protect the family."

"And what about you?What are you going to do?"

"Everything I can Esme, I promise, and the less you know the safer you'll be."

I would have to be extremely careful or I would risk everything I had worked for over the centuries but I couldn't just leave Bella to die for a mistake that was mine.

We flew straight back and I had decided not to tell Edward everything Aro had said. I just told him I would try to keep her safe until we worked out what to do about the wolves and Charlie. I didn't often hide my thoughts from my son but on this occasion, I was left with no other choice and although he studied me suspiciously he didn't question me further and when we landed he followed my instructions to go straight home albeit reluctantly.

"Son, I know you want to find Bella and help to keep her safe but we are probably being watched and we don't want to give anyone a clue that might lead to Bella.. Trust that Jasper will keep her safe and trust me to do all that I can to help him in that task. I need you at home to watch over the others and make sure the Quileutes don't attack, only you can hear their thoughts and that will give the family a chance to flee or barricade themselves inside the house. Remember the chamber we built underneath the house when we bought it, for just such an eventuality? Make sure it is stocked with blood, any that you can get hold of and refrigerate it. It won't be as good but it will keep you from going mad with thirst if it comes to a siege. I'll keep in contact using the cell phones I put down there when we moved back in. They are untraceable or at least according to Darius and he should know."

"That's where you're going now, isn't it?"

"No, I am going straight to the hospital, it will look less suspicious and I have another of Darius' phones hidden there."

He studied me as we walked out of the terminal in Seattle.

"You knew something like this would happen sooner or later didn't you? I used to think you worried too much about things. What do the Volturi plan on doing? That is what you are hiding from me, isn't it?"

"Edward you must understand that the Volturi aren't the monsters some vampires think, they work hard to keep our world safe the only way they can, by enforcing the laws absolutely. Of course, they had already heard something of what happened but for now, we should worry about the Quileutes and the local police, they are closer and much more dangerous at present."

Edward smiled weakly,

"I guess so, I'm sorry I brought this trouble down on us and on Bella."

"No need, I'm the one responsible for accepting Ezra into the house while Bella was there, I guess I've become complacent over the years and now I must attempt to put the situation right. Go home Edward and keep a low profile. Chief Swan is bound to interview you even though you weren't in Forks when Bella went missing. Keep your cool, answer his questions and let him see how anxious you are, anything less will appear suspicious. As soon as I have any news I will get word to you. Hopefully, I'll be home as soon as I can arrange a safe refuge for Jasper and Bella."

He nodded and headed to the parking lot where he had parked his Volvo when we flew out to Italy while I walked out to the taxi rank and set off in a cab for the hospital.

I didn't see anyone following me but the Volturi were good at staying invisible and I had no idea if Aro had someone in the area or not so I decided it was futile to worry about that and sat back to ponder my options. It was going to be difficult to hide Bella from the guardians, the police, and the Volturi, but there had to be a way. I didn't have long in which to act, staying at the hospital for too long would be suspicious in itself and Esme would be worried about me. I had to act quickly and the only person who might be able to help me was Darius.

Once safely in the hospital, I shut myself in my office and when I was sure I was alone I slid a portion of the closet back to reveal a wall safe which I had installed myself when I first came here to work. Spinning the dial I opened the door and took out the only thing it contained, a small black cell phone. I kept a battery fully charged in my drawer and having retrieved it I slid it home before dialing Darius number. He answered immediately

"Carlisle? What's the emergency?"

"I need your help, a safe haven for two people."

"The Major and a mysterious human girl? I heard. The Volturi are not too happy with you right now and extremely pissed at losing their best tracker,"

"Best? I thought Demetri was the best."

"Yeah, everyone does, it suits them for people to think that but my money would have been on Ezra."

"I see, well, can you help? The girl is in danger because of us and I don't want her killed by the Volturi when she knows nothing she shouldn't."

"I'll do what I can but contacting The Major is gonna be tricky, it appears he's destroyed his SIM card. Is that all, Carlisle?"

"Yes, but you should know that the Quileutes are hunting Jasper too and Bella's father is the chief of police in Forks so he will be using every resource at his disposal to find his daughter."

"So, no pressure then! My money's still on The Major but I'll keep it all in mind. How do I contact you?"

"I think I'm being watched so I'll stay here a few hours and clear my desk before I leave."

"Keep the phone on you. I'll text with any news but if you are in danger hit the hash key three times, it'll destroy the phone, I'd rather no one got a look at the circuitry."

As I had told Darius I spent the next two and half hours doing my paperwork, thinking about the mess we were in and checking on a couple of my patients then went down to the garage to retrieve my car. In the gloom, I saw a dark sedan with tinted windows idling a few spaces away and as I unlocked my door it flashed its lights twice. It was the Volturi, just a couple of their watchers reminding me that I was under surveillance.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter Twelve**_

 _ **Sue Clearwater**_

The pack followed Bella up the mountain, over the summit and back down to the river but then lost the trail. The Cullen, Jasper Hale, who had taken Bella had obviously gone into the water and traveled that way although how he did that with Bella was a mystery, after all, it was cold and dark and she wasn't a strong swimmer.

"We searched up and down the bank for fifty miles in each direction but nothing. Do you think he followed it all the way to the sea?"

Harry shrugged in response to the question from a very frustrated Sam.

"It's possible, he certainly doesn't mean to be found, I just hope he's thinking about Bella, she's only a fragile human. He could kill her if he doesn't get shelter for her."

"They'd been in a cabin up the mountain, we found the remains of a fire and blood stained rags, Bella was injured but there was no sign of her body so he didn't feed. What do we tell Charlie?"

"Nothing, just lead him to the cabin at first light, give him hope. What a mess, still we're doing all we can. Give your boys a couple of hours sleep and Sam, keep an eye on Jake he's pretty unstable right now."

Sam nodded and marched out, Paul at his shoulder, another of the wolves who wasn't happy right now, I thought he probably hated the vampires as much as Jake and also felt we weren't doing as much as we should.

Once we were alone Harry went to check on Seth who had been acting strangely the past few days. We feared he might be preparing to phase even though he was really far too young to do so. If that happened I would have one more thing to hold against the Cullens.

As Harry's heavy footfalls faded I picked up my cell phone and went to the car starting the engine and backing out of the garage only to find Sam and Paul waiting for me.

I wound down my window,

"Yes?"

"Are you going to call them?"

"Yes, I don't think I can hold off any longer."

"You know what that means?"

"I do, they'll be able to hunt the vampire and Bella down, they have more resources than we do, they can act independently of any committees or rules."

Sam nodded,

"Good, just tell them we're here if they need us."

I nodded and turned the car headed out of the village towards the ocean, parking up where I could hear the waves crashing against the rocks then took a deep breath and rang the number.

"Sue? What's wrong?"

"I'm so sorry but we need your help. There's a girl who got herself involved with the Cullens and now she's in terrible danger and on the run from the pack and possibly even the Volturi. It's Bella and she's with one of the Cullens."

The cursing could be heard above a very loud thundering sound as a wave hit the rocks throwing stones high in the air only to crash back down.

"How did it happen? She should have been safe in Forks with the guardians to watch over her, so what happened?"

"I know but she has a mind of her own, she's like her mother in that way. She got involved with the Cullens, and was attacked."

"I know of them but they aren't particularly high on our list of priorities. Why would they attack Bella? Their leader is a pacifist."

"We tried to stop her getting involved with them but without telling her the truth there was nothing we could say to convince her. Anyway, it wasn't actually one of the Cullens who attacked but a guest of theirs. We've tracked them over the mountain and into the river, that's when the wolves lost their trail. They checked both banks for fifty miles but they got nothing. And there's one more thing...….the vampire she's with…...it's The Major."

"Shit! OK, we'll take it from here."

The connection was cut abruptly and I got out of my car to walk on the beach. She had every right to be angry with us, we had given our promise to keep Bella safe and we had broken our word but I had every faith that the vampire hunters would locate Bella, save her and kill her companion.

 **Renee**

I threw the phone across the room cursing Sue and the Quileutes. I couldn't believe what I had just heard, my daughter, Isabella, in the hands of a filthy vampire? That's one of the reasons I had left her in Forks with Charlie, she should have been safe there among the Quileute guardians so what had gone wrong? I knew of the Cullens, who didn't? But they were the least dangerous of all vampires and as such, we had left them in peace, we had more urgent targets to concentrate on.

Still, it was too late to start regretting that now, luckily we were between jobs at the moment so could concentrate solely on finding The Major. He had always been high on our list considering his past but had slipped down when he joined the Cullens, it was pointless wasting time and resources on vampires who did not hunt humans but now he'd hit the top spot once more.

When I told my comrades they were happy enough with the new assignment and Karl pointed out something that hadn't occurred to me yet.

"If this girl who is with The Major knows about vampires then won't the Volturi be looking for them too? Or do the Cullens have dispensation to break the law?"

I hadn't told them who the girl was yet, that could wait.

"No, you're right Karl which could give us a chance at some of the Volturi guards. How I would love to send them all to hell where they belong. We're going to need our complete arsenal and animal cunning but the girl comes first, I want her extracted without harm even if it means passing on the Volturi."

The others looked at me a little curiously but nodded their assent.

"It's always our aim to save the humans Renee but we need to discover where The Major has taken her first of all.

We pored over a map trying to decide where he might head.

"Well, he's got this human with him so that will slow him down, she needs food and sleep not to mention shelter. Is she with him willingly?"

"Of course not, she's a hostage."

"The Major took a hostage? Why?"

"It's complicated and I'm not sure I know all the answers. All we need to know is that he's snatched the girl and they are on the run. I doubt she'll survive long."

Dan nodded,

"Not with his reputation, poor kid."

I felt sick at his words,

"Thank God he's tied up with the Cullens or she'd be dead by now."

Again Dan was right but I couldn't think about that right now so I changed the subject.

" Anyway, Dan, you can cross Ezra Volturi off our list."

"Ezra? Well, we always knew The Major was good, this is going to be dangerous."

"Anyone who wants out just say so now ."

I knew I was being sharper than usual when they exchanged glances but I couldn't stop thinking about my beautiful little baby in the clutches of a human hunter for that's what The Major was, however much he tried to hide it behind the Cullen's "Vegetarian" diet.

I sat down with Dan and Richard my two trusty lieutenants to work out our strategy while Nan, Richard's wife, got working on intelligence. She had managed to hack into the Volturi main frame although we hadn't yet used the trapdoor she had created to get information. We knew we may well have only one shot before the Volturi realized what was happening but this chance to take out The Major and possibly some of the Volturi guards was just too good to miss.

When she came back with the news that the Volturi weren't reacting to the news about the girl, that no one had been sent to track down The Major and Bella, that the only thing they had done was to put a constant watch order on the Cullens I got a bad feeling and I wasn't the only one. Nan questioned it,

"Why would the Volturi just leave this human girl alive? Something's not right Renee."

"I agree but it gives us a clear window to look for them ourselves. Is there anything at all that might help us, Nan?"

"Not really, I got the cell number for Jasper Hale, The Major's alias but it's switched off and I would guess he's probably ditched it. The funny thing is that Aro Volturi has been trying to contact him too."

"The Volturi have his number? Now, why would they have that? Can you find any connection between the two?"

"Not so far but my spyware is still wandering around in the Volturi system so we might find something else. Sorry, I'm not more help."

"That's OK, and at least I have a way to trace them."

Deciding it was time I explained to my companions exactly who The Major had abducted and saw their expressions of shock and disbelief which slowly faded to steely determination. We were a family too, and we stuck together whatever life threw at us as we hunted down the most loathsome creatures on the planet.

On the way to the airport, I thought about my life, I had given up everything I loved when my father died to take my place as leader of the Vânători. I had been brought up on the stories of how my ancestors who had lived in rural Romania created the society of vampire hunters after their village and everyone in it had been slaughtered by vampires in the 4th century. It wasn't a position I had wanted, not when it meant sacrificing everything a normal woman had a right to, but it was my birthright and when word came that my father was dying I had walked away from the most important things in my life to take his place and had felt a terrible sense of guilt and loss ever since.

I tried not to think any further as I closed my eyes during the flight to Seattle where we would pick up the other members of our group and more importantly the one piece of equipment that I had hoped I would never need to use. When she was born I had arranged for Bella to have a tracker implanted figuring that I might not always be there for her but I would always know where she was and if necessary be able to find her. How little had I imagined I would be using it so soon but I knew how cruel and dangerous our world could be and although Charlie would do his best to keep her safe there were always going to be times he couldn't. It had also given me a feeling of connection with my daughter.

All being well we could save her, kill the vampire and get her back to Forks without ever having to reveal my true identity. Dan was skilled at hypnotism and would take away any memories Bella might have of her ordeal and anything strange she had been subjected to. His skills had saved many a human from ridicule, after all, who would believe a hysterical woman who insisted vampires really existed and she had seen one!

When we landed I stood looking at the Seattle skyline and sighed, I hadn't imagined that I would ever come back here, so close to everyone I had loved and lost.

"You OK Renee?"

I nodded,

"Yes, I'm fine Karl thank you. Let's get moving, we haven't much time and I need to meet up with my friend."

It didn't take long to drive to the motel on the outskirts of the city. I couldn't risk getting too close to Forks, I might be recognized by someone who had known me when I was married to Charlie and I didn't need any more complications right now.

When we pulled up I saw Maura waiting in her car and went over to greet her.

"It's been a long time Maura, I'm sorry I had to call on you."

Maura was another ex Vânători who had left the group to start a family and decided to stay with her husband and two little girls.

She smiled and hugged me,

"I'm just sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances, Renee. I'll go with you, I can't imagine how you must be feeling. If Sophie or Ivy were in danger I'd just die."

"No, there are enough of us, you go home to Grant and the girls, we can take it from here."

She rummaged in the deep pockets of her coat and took out a small black box.

"You asked me to retrieve this."

I took it from her,

"Thank you."

She smiled and hugged me again,

"I'll be praying for you, my friend. Goodbye"

I thanked her and watched as she slid back inside her car with its baby booties tied to the rearview mirror and knew I'd done the right thing in letting her go. I just hoped she appreciated everything that I had abandoned back in Forks so long ago.

Richard went to arrange for transport and the others were talking quietly, we hadn't been all together as a team in over a year and had a lot of catching up to do. I turned from them and slipped off the tiny key I carried on a chain around my neck inserting it into the slot in the black box Maura had handed me. There was a soft beep and a set of numbers flashed up on a small screen, the coordinates which would lead me to my daughter and the vampire who held her prisoner.

As I explained my story to the newcomers no one looked particularly surprised but then they had been with me when I decided to leave the Vânători after meeting Charlie although I think they suspected I would be back eventually, after all, it was what I had been trained for since birth and had been my father's only proviso when giving me his blessing to leave. That I would return on his death. How little had we known how short a time I would have before the disease took him and I was obliged to make good on my promise.

We moved off as soon as Richard returned and I dismissed my walk down memory lane. I had to focus on the future and rescuing my daughter and hardly tasted the Chinese take out that Malcolm had grabbed on our way to the airfield. The coordinates had shown us that Bella was now in Alaska and with the powerful Denali pack resident there we couldn't afford to take our time. If the Quileute pack contacted Johnny H and asked for his help there would be no guarantee of Bella's safety, destroying the vampire who had abducted her would be his main concern and The Major might well kill her if he felt she would be a hindrance to his escape we needed to hurry.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

 **Bella**

When I opened my eyes I could see we were no longer in the cabin, I didn't recognize anything around me and wondered if I had hit my head harder than I thought when Ezra threw me across the clearing. His name made me sit up quickly, just where the hell was I? All I could tell was that the walls were stone and the only light came from a small fire enclosed by a ring of stones on the rock floor…..what the hell? I was in a cave and alone. I moved nearer to the fire pulling my sweater closer around me before realizing it wasn't mine at all, it was Jaspers! Then I remembered him telling me I couldn't go home, something about it being dangerous. But how had I got here?

I got up very slowly testing my muscles, they were stiff and I was sore but apart from my arm, the pain wasn't so bad. I pulled off the strapping and threw it in the fire then crept towards a faint light in the distance which must be the entrance to the cave. Maybe I could get away before Jasper got back from wherever he was. Jasper….I was torn, I still felt drawn to him but at the same time, I was angry at him for not taking me home and for all the crazy things he had said. Well, I wasn't a child and I could take myself home if I could work out where I was at present that was.

Peering out of the cave I shivered, there was an icy wind and I could see snow on the ground. It hadn't been snowing when Jasper saved me. Peering around I saw nothing I recognized but neither did I see my companion so I slid out of the cave and ran into the trees a few feet away then hid behind some bushes to see if he had returned or been watching for me to make a move. Everything was quiet and still as I tried to work out which way I should go to make my escape and I had just decided to head downhill through the trees when I heard his voice.

"You go that way you'll find yourself in bear country, Bella. Come back inside before you freeze to death."

I whirled around to see him leaning against a tree, a rucksack dangling from one hand, dressed only in a thin windcheater and seemingly oblivious of the softly falling snow that was accumulating on his shoulders.

"Where are we? I want to go home, you have no right to keep me prisoner. My dad will be looking for me and when he finds us you are going to be in deep trouble."

"If it's only your dad who finds us I'll be happy but I don't think he'll look for you here in Kitimat."

"Where?"

"Kitimat, British Columbia."

"Canada? That's impossible. How did we get here? How long was I out?"

"Later, for now, you should get inside. I have some food here, you must be starving, and some warm clothes."

Realizing I was shivering and ravenous I gave in and trudged back to the cave followed by an amused Jasper Hale.

Once inside he made up the fire and pulled out a thick sweater and jeans handing them to me.

"Get changed while I heat you up some food."

I looked around but there was nowhere private I could change.

"I won't peek I promise."

I turned blushing furiously but I could see he meant it so while he turned his back I stripped off my tattered pants and shredded blouse then pulled on the jeans and sweater awkwardly because of my sore arm finding they fitted perfectly.

When I told him I was done and handed back his sweater he motioned for me to sit down and handed me some hot soup and a chunk of bread.

"Sorry it's not more but I daren't be away long. As it is we'll need to move soon."

"Move again? Where are we going now? Jasper, what's going on? I want to speak to my dad, tell him I'm OK."

"Of course you do but it's too dangerous, we could be traced."

I put the empty soup mug down and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand in lieu of a napkin.

"Right, that's it. I'm not moving from here until you tell me what's going on."

He smiled and my heart fluttered although I was still mad at him.

"It's complicated Bella but you are far safer here with me."

"So you keep telling me, but safe from whom? You already admitted to killing Ezra."

He sighed and sank gracefully to the floor the other side of the fire legs crossed if I'd tried a move like that I would have fallen ass over apex!

"What do you want to know?"

I had a thousand questions and tried to put them in order,

"Ezra. Tell me about him."

"OK, but you won't believe me. Ezra wasn't human, he was a very dangerous predator who became fixated on you. He would have killed you if I hadn't arrived when I did. I am really sorry that you got caught up in this."

"What? All those things he said? About drinking my blood, about Edward resisting the scent of it for so long?...

I stopped suddenly as something finally registered,

"What do you mean not human?"

Jasper regarded me for a moment as if weighing up just how much to tell me and for a second I thought he might just clam up but then he continued.

"The world you know isn't the only one, there are others who live secretly among you."

"Now you're sounding like the Twilight Zone, make sense."

"Very well but first, I need to ask you something. Have you ever felt afraid in my company Bella? Or Edward's, Carlisle's…"

"I don't understand. Of course I haven't that's a stupid question.",

"Are you afraid right now, here alone with me?"

I laughed, it was absurd, I was furious, yes but I wasn't afraid. Then I remembered he had killed a man, a man he said was a dangerous predator so how had he done it? I shrank back a little. hoping he wouldn't notice but I could see from this expression that he hadn't missed the movement.

"So you are afraid? At least a little, that's good, it will help you stay alive."

"I…...I didn't mean that I mean no…...I'm not afraid of you but I am confused and scared of what I saw back in the forest. Why would he say that about Edward? Why would Edward want to drink my blood, it's sick. And I don't understand about my world, what you said."

"I guess you deserve to know at least a little of the truth Bella but the more you know the more danger you will be in. We are in a whole heap of trouble right now. The Quileutes are hunting us and possibly some others even more dangerous than them. If they find us they will try to kill me and if the Volturi do then they will probably try to kill you too. You've been dragged into a struggle you should know nothing about."

"I don't understand, why would the Quileutes be trying to kill you? I mean I know they will be looking for me along with my dad but I don't understand and who are the Vol…...Vol….whatever?"

"The Volturi are a…..let's call them a kind of police force. Now, have you finished, we need to get into town."

"Into town? Are you taking me home?"

I suddenly felt less tense, hopeful even though he had said I couldn't go home only a short time ago.

He shook his head.

"Then I'm not moving."

I crossed my arms although it was painful to do so and looked at him stubbornly.

He sighed,

"Bella, you can't go home yet, possibly ever. If the Volturi get involved they will probably work on the assumption that you know what we are and that means a death sentence for you. I'm trying to protect you."

"Then tell me the truth if you want me to trust you."

He groaned looking frustrated and a touch annoyed,

"Very well, the Volturi are the rulers of my world Bella, I'm not what you think I am, I'm like Ezra, not like you."

Now he was scaring me again, did he mean he was not human, like Ezra?"

As if he could read my mind he nodded,

"Yes, like Ezra I'm a vampire Bella, so are the rest of my family but we don't live on human blood, we are unusual vampires. That's what Ezra was talking about, he wanted to drink your blood."

I felt suddenly sick and ran to the cave entrance gulping in lungfuls of fresh air as it hit me that Jasper was deadly serious. I was trapped in a cave with a vampire with no idea where I was or how to get away.

It came to my notice that he hadn't followed me and when I turned I could see he hadn't moved at all.

"I don't believe you, there are no such things as vampires, Ezra was plain crazy, maybe on PCP that would explain his unusual strength. Why are you trying to scare me?"

He got up very slowly and joined me as if aware I was spooked and it wouldn't take much to make me run then stooped down to pick up a stone from the ground and dropped it in my hand.

"Break it."

I looked down at the cold hard object and laughed,

"I can't, that's impossible."

"Is it?"

He took it from me clenching his fist tightly and I gasped as I saw a thin trickle of dust drop to the floor. When he opened his fist again the stone had been crushed to powder.

"How did you do that?"

"Not with drugs I assure you. I'm different Bella, stronger, faster, and far more deadly than any human."

His voice was quiet but serious and wiping his hand on his jeans he went back into the cave.

I hesitated then followed him inside my mind full of questions again,

"If vampires are real how come no one ever sees them? Or knows that they exist?"

"We are very careful and usually the first time a human recognizes us for what we really are is when they feel our teeth slice into their throats. We don't leave witnesses Bella and any human who stumbles into our world is killed to keep the secret."

"So these Volturi are going to kill me because I know about their world? Why are they looking for you though?"

"Because I killed one of their law enforcers, Ezra."

"You risked your own death to save me?"

He didn't answer just stared into the fire but suddenly I felt very guilty and much less afraid.

It dawned on me that there was something about the Quileutes that I didn't understand, yet another mystery.

"What about the Quileutes? Why are you running from them? Are they something different too? I mean it appears nothing is quite what it seems."

He stared into the fire as he answered,

"You are finally beginning to understand Bella, this world is far more strange than you could ever have imagined. The Quileutes are what is known as a guardian tribe, a section of the tribe react to the presence of vampires and phase. They take on the form of giant wolves, the only entities capable of killing a vampire and they will know that you were attacked by a vampire and that you are in my company. I'd like to think they would be careful not to hurt you if they caught up with us but in wolf form, they are unpredictable and therefore potentially dangerous to you as well."

I sat down closing my eyes and trying to take in everything Jasper had said, it sounded as if I had lived in ignorance all these years, at least if I accepted his explanation but I couldn't see why he should lie to me and although I was confused and frightened right now I still felt the electricity between us and I wasn't afraid of him. If I believed him then I had to accept that he was trying to protect me and I should stop resisting.

"So, where are we going? Is it possible to hide from the Quileutes and the Volturi? I mean how long will they keep looking for us?"

"Until I'm dead and you are either dead or become one of us."

"One of us? You mean become a vampire like you?"

I shook my head horrified, I didn't want to become a vampire and live on blood, slaughtering humans to do so. The very thought sickened me.

"I'm going to do my best to save you from either fate Bella but you have to help me. Do as I say, work with me."

"Why are you doing this? I mean I'm Edward's girlfriend, not yours. You are risking your own life."

"I'm doing it for the oldest reason in the world Bella and because I'm the only one who can. Edward isn't a fighter, I doubt he could have defeated Ezra and he certainly couldn't outrun the Volturi, besides I don't think you are in love with Edward, not anymore."

Well, he'd got that right, I wasn't, but did he know how drawn to him I was? And what did he mean by the oldest reason in the world?

"OK, I'll work with you…. for now, but is there no way of getting a message to my dad?"

"What if you did, only to end up dead because the Volturi found us? Wouldn't that be worse for your father? I will do all I can but even I can't guarantee your safety."

I have no idea what made me say it, the words just spilled from my mouth of their own volition,

"I know you will, I do trust you, Jasper."

He smiled at that and picking up the now almost empty rucksack took my hand and led me out into the daylight and down the hill towards the town.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

 **Jasper**

I was relieved that Bella had decided to trust me even if I had possibly signed her death warrant by telling her of our existence. We had to keep on the move which meant help which in turn meant making contact with Carlisle and that necessitated a trip into town to use a pay phone. A cell phone would have been more convenient but it had been too dangerous to carry mine around and risk it being traced. Having Bella's hand in mine felt good and I prayed we would live long enough for her to grow closer to me. Humans probably didn't have the same feelings we did, certainly not the mating pull but I knew she felt something towards me and that gave me hope.

Once in town I sent her into a small ill-lit diner with enough money to get something decent to eat. I already knew it had no rear customer exit and the phone was easily visible from the pay phone I was going to use so if I'd read her wrong and she decided to try anything I would know instantly.

Looking around to see I was not being watched I rang Carlisle at the hospital hoping he would be there, ringing the house or his cell phone was way too risky.

"Dr. Cullen's secretary, how may I help you?"

I was relieved when she told me Carlisle was in and put me through straight away.

"Jasper? Thank goodness, I was hoping you would contact me here."

"I don't have much time Carlisle, I need transport, money, and a good hiding place and I need them now."

"I anticipated as much, did you get my messages?"

"No, but I've already dumped my cell phone."

"Right, well did you hear from Aro before you got rid of it?"

"Aro? No, why should I? Does he know what happened? Are the Volturi looking for us?"

"I'm not sure, it's just that I got the impression he might be getting in touch with you. Is Bella OK? Can I speak to her?"

"No, she's not with me, she's getting something to eat. Is there a problem because it sounds like you don't trust me all of a sudden?"

"I'm sorry, no, I didn't mean it to sound like that but I know Edward is going to ask me if I spoke to her. Charlie is going crazy and I'm sure that Bella's worried about him. Does she know anything Jasper? You know how dangerous that would be."

"I do, but since she was pursued by a crazy vampire who threatened to drink her blood it's a little late to worry about that. I need to go, Carlisle, can you help me or not?"

I was irked by Carlisle's attitude and had no idea what was behind it. What made him think that Aro and I were phone buddies all of a sudden?

"Call Darius on this number, he's already setting things up for you."

He reeled off a number that I memorized,

"OK, thank you, Carlisle."

"Just stay alive and keep Bella alive too, that will be thanks enough but it's probably not a good idea to call me again."

"I understand, I didn't plan on it, the less contact I have with known acquaintances the safer we'll be."

I glanced over at the diner to see Bella sitting side on to the window in the shadows where I could see her clearly but she would be almost invisible to anyone else looking in from the street, a smart move although I doubted it had been deliberate.

I tapped in the number Carlisle gave me and Darius answered straight away.

"Am I working with a group of brain dead morons here? Didn't it occur to anyone that the Volturi would be monitoring communications for your voice?"

He didn't wait for answer although I knew he was right and I hadn't thought about that.

"You're going to have to move fast Major. By the way, I think you may have more enemies on your trail than you expected. Have you heard of the Vânători?"

I stiffened,

"Yeah, I've heard of them."

"Well, you should watch your back, I hear murmurings that they are on the move although I can't verify that yet and even if they are it doesn't mean that they are headed your way but it pays to be prepared for the worst. There's a small landing strip just outside town and a rented plane in the name of Jackson, Ben Jackson. The pilot will take you to Poorman and from there you should make your way to the Jeep trail. Head west then south to Solomon creek. About five miles west of there is a shack, it's not much but as you need shelter for the human you have with you I figured it's better than nothing. Wait there and I'll organise something more permanent and suitable once I know just how many are after you."

"Thanks for that, I owe you."

"Don't sweat it, Major. I owe Carlisle and this is just me paying my debt.".

I knew the Volturi watched Darius as a possible security risk so it followed that knowing he and Carlisle were friends they would be even more vigilant right now so he was taking a big chance helping us.

I was about to put the receiver back when I heard him hiss through his teeth then he spoke again, more urgently,

"Major, the trouble here just keeps piling up. That group I just mentioned, well it seems they are on your trail after all. You should probably get moving pronto."

That was all I needed, they'd be queueing up to take numbers pretty soon! I guess the fact I had a human with me could have piqued their interest but it was pretty poor timing for us. As for discovering our general vicinity, well that was a mystery but one I didn't have time to ponder on right now.

The trip to the shack was going to be especially hard for Bella so I planned on picked up a few things before going to the airstrip and decided to explain the unfolding situation to her. She had a right to the whole truth as it seemed we were going to be on the run together for some time.

I went to join her in the diner and while she ate and I pretended to drink coffee I told her in a low voice what I had just learned.

"Are there going to be any more cranks crawling out of the woodwork to chase us, Jasper? I just hope I don't slow you down too much, you might be better off going on alone after all if it's the hunters you were telling me about then I'd be safe enough."

"And leave you here at the mercy of whoever gets here first if it's not them? I don't think so."

"But if they do catch us up they'll kill you and I couldn't bear that."

I looked into her eyes and saw she meant it, she genuinely cared for my safety.

"I can take care of myself Bella, there aren't many people who would even consider taking me on."

She grinned,

"You make it sound like you're the bad guy."

Sitting back I continued to hold her gaze, trying to make her see how serious I was.

"Make no mistake Bella, I'm probably your worst nightmare, theirs too."

She swallowed hard but she was tougher than she looked and as she spoke she reached across the table to take my hand.

"Nightmare or not you're my only hope of keeping one step ahead of the Volturi and I will not be responsible for anything bad happening to you so I guess we should go before the party guests arrive."

I smiled, she was handling herself well and as she left the diner I followed her out into the fast approaching dusk.

Just as Darius had promised the plane was waiting for us, the pilot had his instructions and had been paid not to ask any questions. It was a small plane so there was no privacy to talk and Bella spent the flight gazing out of the window while I tried to work out why a band of vampire hunters should suddenly become so interested in me. They usually targeted nomads as I had told Bella and with limited resources they didn't go tracking one that already had a captive who would normally be dead or transformed by now. It made me very uneasy, I didn't like it when I couldn't see the whole picture, although I was determined not to show that to Bella, she had enough on her plate as it was.

Waiting for us at the edge of the makeshift landing strip was a solitary figure standing beside a motorbike and I realized these people were probably illegal hunters or smugglers which meant Darius had something on them and they were aiding him to keep him quiet. The figure turned out to be a man with a hard face, a knife pushed into his belt, and a rifle slung over his shoulder. He nodded in acknowledgment as we approached speaking in a low voice,

"The bike's gassed up as requested and there are survival supplies at the cabin. I'm to tell you that there's a parcel in the log pile for you and when you leave here I never met you."

With that, he handed me the bike keys and strode away.

"Friendly isn't he?"

I turned to Bella who was staring at his receding back.

"That's the way I prefer it. Have you ever ridden a motorbike before?"

"Yes, but only a few times mainly as a passenger behind Jake then my dad saw us and I was grounded for a month"

"Well, I don't think your dad is gonna see you this time. Just do what I do and you'll be fine but hold on tight, the track isn't going to be a smooth surface."

She nodded and climbed on wrapping her arms tightly around my waist. I would have preferred it if the guy had supplied a helmet for Bella, instead, I would have to be really careful, we couldn't risk a fall out here in the wilderness so I started out slowly to give Bella a chance to get comfortable and find her balance then began speeding up. As she tucked her head into my shoulder to protect her face from the chill wind I couldn't help smiling at how good it felt.

The trail was pretty rough with deep ruts and holes which I avoided where possible but I could hear groans from Bella as we hit particularly rough areas and knew she was suffering. Things were much more difficult with a human around. I could have run much faster but it would be impossible with Bella in my arms, besides I wanted my hands free in case our pursuers somehow got too close. I didn't put the headlight on as darkness fell, it could give our position away and Bella tensed for a while, it must have been pretty frightening hurtling forward at high speed on a dark trail but she slowly relaxed as she realized I could see fine to navigate in the dark.

I found the shack just before dawn after a rough ride and Bella could hardly dismount when I stopped at the back of it where a lean-to full of logs would shelter it out of sight. I helped her off and she more or less staggered to the door groaning as she disappeared inside and when I followed her I found she had collapsed onto a wooden sofa with a couple of pillows scattered on it to soften its hard base.

"I never want to do that again, I'm tired, hungry, dirty and I ache in muscles I never knew I had."

She peered at me in the dim light,

"It's not fair you know. Why do I feel like this and you look like you just stepped out of a fashion magazine?"

"It's one of the perks of being a vampire, I don't get tired and my muscles don't either."

She closed her eyes and groaned again as I hurried to grab a couple of blankets from a pile on the dresser and draped them over her, it was going to be cold here, I daren't light a fire for fear the smoke could give away our position. There was some food, sandwiches and a flask of coffee but by the time I turned around to offer them to Bella she was already asleep so I left her, she must be shattered and it would give me time to check out the surroundings and find the best escape route should we be found.

The shack was in a decent defensive position having open ground for at least two hundred yards all round and at the back was a lake which would make it difficult for anyone to sneak up. I was under no illusion that if the Volturi turned up I could fight them all, especially not the gifted ones but I could slow them down long enough to give her a chance of escape. I knew we weren't going to be here long, it was far too dangerous to stay in one place for too long, this was just a staging post until Darius could find somewhere more secure. In the back of the lean-to, beneath a pile of logs waiting to be split I found a package wrapped in oilcloth and sealed with wax so I could be sure no one had tampered with it since it had been placed here. Tearing the wrappings off I found a small tin which contained a cell phone wrapped in plastic and a solar charger. I slipped the battery into the phone and attached the charger laying it atop the lean-to where to would catch the most daylight. With luck, it would be sufficiently charged to use within a few hours.

I was about to go back inside when I heard something, soft footfalls on the snow at the front of the shack. Moving silently I made my way around the shack and peered round the corner but it was just a curious wolf, a real one and it soon disappeared when it sensed me. My mouth flooded with venom and I realized just how thirsty I was, I needed to hunt but I couldn't leave Bella alone for long. Making a snap decision I followed the wolf as it headed for the lake, it had chosen the wrong time to become adventurous and I caught it up as it lowered its head to drink.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

 **Renee**

We were closing in on Bella and the vampire, luckily they hadn't moved far although crossing the border made it a little more difficult for us. We had to sneak across, after all, we worked under the radar and didn't have limitless resources. When they entered Alaska I smiled, if necessary we could call on the Denali guardians, Johnny H had helped us before and once he knew there was a human hostage there would be no problem. For now, though we would wait and see where our quarry stopped. Bella was still alive which was a relief and it had me wondered just what the vampire wanted her for.

"They've stopped Renee, somewhere near Solomon creek, looks like it's in the middle of nowhere which makes things easier for us."

I was glad to hear they had stopped moving, I was getting sick of chasing this bastard who had my daughter.

"OK, get on the radio to Nan. See if she can hack into a satellite passing anywhere close by. If not get her to send us the most up to date photo's of the area she can find, we need to know what we're headed into."

"What's the plan? I take it we aren't going in all guns blazing so to speak."

"No, Bella might get hurt accidentally. We go in quietly, see if we can get close enough for me to influence him. Then we take Bella. Once she's safe we finish the job."

While we waited for Nan to get back to us Dan set to checking the equipment with Karl just like always. Our greatest weapon was the flame-thrower and if that failed then the odds of us surviving halved straight away. My gift would help but it had a limited range and I didn't want anyone getting hurt except the vampire. Richard broke into my reverie at that point,

"Renee, Nan's on the line and she says she must speak with you."

I cursed running over to the truck and taking the radio from him as the printer he had connected to his laptop began to work.

"What is it, Nan?"

"I've found something worrying and I think you should hear it before you make any move."

I'd never heard her sound so serious or concerned before and understood whatever it was she had discovered must be extremely important.

"Very well, you know I never run into any situation without all the facts at my fingertips. What have you found that upsets you so?"

"I think you should all hear this, then you can decide whether it worries you as much as it does me."

I frowned, what on earth had Nan found to cause her such concern?

"OK, just a minute and I'll put you on the speaker."

I called the others to join me and they came frowning, this was unusual.

"Right, you have our attention."

Nan hesitated then began, her voice low and troubled,

"You all know I've been snooping around in the Volturi computer system for some time?"

"Yes, well? Go on, we don't have much time to waste Nan."

"You're going to want to hear this, trust me. I found a heavily encrypted file some weeks ago and as it was so well secured I decided it was worth trying to break the security even if it gave my presence away. Well, I got into it a few hours ago and I'm very glad I did. It concerns a particularly special gifted human and his influence on one vampire subject in particular. The human has been dead for centuries but his legacy still exists. He was Roman by birth but he traveled to Romania to offer his gift to the vampire rulers in exchange for immortality."

"Nan, I'm sure this is a fascinating story but what does it have to do with the present situation?"

"Everything Renee. This human called himself Noctua which means owl, I guess he thought highly of his own wisdom, anyway what he offered the Romanians was his gift, a very valuable one. He bragged that he could turn a competent warrior into an unstoppable killing machine although he refused to explain how his gift actually worked. As you can imagine Stefan and Vladimir were very interested and agreed his price but insisted that he demonstrate his gift first. He agreed asking for their best warrior and they provided him with a fighter they had taken from a battlefield in Greece, a Spartan hippeis, one of the elite warriors of Sparta. He had taken on a vampire and fought well enough to impress Stefan who decided to change him instead of killing him."

"OK, so what happened next?"

"Noctua locked himself and the warrior in his quarters, not a good idea as it turned out because whatever he did worked so well that the hippeis tore him apart. Vladimir and Stefan thought he had lied, at least for a while, but as time went by their fighter became stronger and more ferocious and their best commander. He was so good that they became concerned that he might turn his abilities on them and try to snatch control but they were loathe to destroy their best fighter. Then Vladimir found a parchment in the rubble of the destroyed building Noctua had used containing all the information they needed to control their commander. There was a set of words that activated him, turned him into a super killer. Unfortunately, it didn't warn them that after they turned him loose on a target he would continue to kill indiscriminately until his task was completed and then he would collapse. They activated him and sent him into battle against the Volturi, his target being one of their gifts, a man called Anthony, and after a brutal battle in which he slaughtered not only his target but an entire contingent of the Volturi guard he did just that, collapsed. They thought he was finished when he dropped and left him there, it seems they were actually scared of him. Aro and Marcus decided to take the body from the battlefield, I guess they wanted to see if they could find out what he was."

"Nan, fascinating as this story is we're growing old here. Get to the point."

"I am in the only way I can. The warrior eventually recovered but had no memory of his past. He was the toughest fighter the Volturi had ever seen and they made sure he was loyal, using Chelsea's gift. The trouble came a few years later when they decided to try out their new toy using the three words from the parchment they had stolen from Stefan using a spy in the Romanian camp. They ordered him to eliminate a rather annoying but powerful pretender to the Volturi throne. He hunted down the target and killed not only him but every one of his followers, but then just as before he collapsed. The same thing happened every time he was activated and each time when he came to he had no recollection of his former self. Their biggest problem was that the only way to stop the warrior after he was activated if they wanted to avoid a bloodbath somewhere before he finally collapsed was to use Alec Volturi to isolate him. They had a fantastic weapon but a dangerously unstable one."

"We'll be sure to keep a look out for this vampire berserker, Nan. Is that all?"

"No, you see that warrior is still alive and a member of the Volturi right now, unaware he is a one man weapon of mass destruction until such time as he is activated. He has no memory of his past but I can tell you what will happen if he gets those code words from the Volturi. Bella will be dead, along with anyone else they name and any poor unfortunates within his reach and believe me, that reach stretches one hell of a way. You wouldn't be able to get close enough to him to use your gift, Renee."

I froze as the ramification of her words sunk in.

"Are you telling me that The Major is the warrior in the file? That Bella is in the company of an empath psycho time bomb?"

"I'm afraid so, The Major is just the latest reincarnation of the Spartan hippeis. If the Volturi find out about Bella and even suspect she might know their secret they might well use their weapon. The gift he was given by Noctua gives him the ability to read and influence emotions but it's a two-edged sword, the emotions he reads he also absorbs and sooner or later they reach a critical mass and he overloads which is what causes the collapse. As The Major he was getting close, the only reason he hasn't exploded was that he lived with the Cullens which allowed a respite from the stronger more violent emotions. I think that's why the Volturi allowed him to go there after he aided Maria to achieve her goal of ruling the southern covens for them. The Volturi decided she was the best of the leaders and made sure she got her hands on the reins of power."

"Are you sure about this Nan?"

"I read some of the reports, some of the out of control renegades he has neutralised over the centuries, Vlad Tepes, Gilles de Rais, Countess Elizabeth Báthory de Ecsed, all vampires who were completely out of control and threatened to expose the secrets of the vampire world, and all who were neutralised by The Major in one or other of his reincarnations despite whatever the human historical accounts might say to the contrary."

I dropped my head into my hands, how was it possible that my little girl should find herself in the clutches of the most dangerous vampire in all of history and more to the point, how was I going to save her now?

There was a deep silence as everyone took in the ramification of what we had just heard, we were going up against the most dangerous entity in the world with just a flame-thrower and a prayer and the price of failure was death, not only for us but for my daughter. I had no idea if my companions were willing to pit themselves against such an adversary, all I could do was to hope.

Dan looked at the others then blew out his cheeks and turned to me,

"Sounds to me like we'd better get moving before The Major gets those orders from the Volturi or things could get a little hot for everyone. You ready to roll Renee?"

I heaved a sigh of relief feeling embarrassed that I had ever thought to question my comrades.

"If Nan has sent those pictures then yeah, lets hit the road."

Dan had the printouts and after a quick look we got back into the trucks and headed off knowing our window of opportunity was shrinking all the time. I had to get to Bella before the Volturi sent orders to their killing machine although how they planned to do that as Nan hadn't found any hint of a cell phone or computer anywhere near my daughter's position, maybe the odds were in our favor after all.

The trucks made light work of the track, they'd been specially adapted to survive rugged terrain but it still took longer than I had hoped. Still, the Gods must be on our side because the threatening snow was holding off and we made good time. We pulled up a quarter of a mile from the shack and went in the rest of the way on foot, our white clothes blending in with the terrain. The vampire would be on high alert we had to assume he was expecting trouble although we hoped he might only be expecting the guardians.

"What I don't quite get is why he bothered to save her in the first place and why he's running with her. From all we've learned Bella wasn't close to him and he must know the guardians wouldn't hurt her even if they hunted him down. I get the feeling we're missing something, I mean I can understand he might want to keep her on ice until he could explain she couldn't tell anyone about the vampire who attacked her but...well, why is he keeping her with him? Do you think she'd refuse to keep their secret if she knew what that could mean?"

I shrugged, I really didn't have the faintest idea how my teenage daughter would react and like Richard I felt there was more to it than met the eye but one way or another we'd know soon enough.

"If I can just get close enough to use my gift then Bella will be safe and we can kill him before the Volturi get a message to him. It'll mean one less filthy leech in the world and from what Nan discovered we'd be doing the human race a favor."

"And if we're too late? If he's already been triggered?"

"Then we try to kill him before he goes on a rampage but remember, the Volturi don't want him exposing them so I think they'll hold off until they can get Alec in a position to control him. For now, all we can do is keep going with the plan we had and hope for the best."

Everyone went very quiet after that and I assumed they were thinking much the same as I was, how do you kill a weapon of mass destruction equipped with its own safety precautions?


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

 **Aro**

I looked around the table trying to gauge the reaction of the others to what I had just told them and although Marcus, Athena, and my dear wife looked nothing more than curious Caius was visibly fuming.

"So you see brothers, it would appear that we have a slight problem."

"A slight problem Aro? Ezra, our best tracker is dead and The Major, the murderer, has run off with a human girl who was mixed up with Edward Cullen and who probably knows all our secrets and both are being pursued by not only the filthy guardians but the girls father who just happens to be a senior law enforcement officer and a team of vampire hunters! That's hardly what I'd call a small problem."

Marcus nodded his agreement with Caius and I saw there was probably no way I was going to be able to save Carlisle and his family this time but that didn't mean I wouldn't try.

"Ezra was always a loose cannon, I said we should have kept him under lock and key unless he was on a mission for us so his death while regrettable was not entirely unforeseen and we do still have Demetri. I think our biggest problem is the girl and what exactly The Major is doing on the run with her. Did Carlisle say?"

"No Marcus, all he said was that they were all very fond of the girl Bella and he thinks The Major took her away to keep her safe until they can work out how to handle the situation."

"Typical Carlisle, he always thinks he has a way of solving problems without spilling any innocent blood and without admitting the truth of any situation. I'm amazed he hasn't brought our wrath down on his head before now. He has finally overstepped the line don't you agree? Or will you be attempting to talk us out of taking the appropriate action once more? You have blinkers Aro when it comes to your friend."

Caius was correct, I had pulled Carlisle and his family out of the firing line more than once but this time was different, he had put our most valuable asset at risk and would have to face the consequences of his actions as a result.

"No Caius, even I cannot save the Cullens from this particular danger, we must think of The Major, we cannot afford to lose him."

Marcus sat back with a smile on his face, he was enjoying my discomfort.

"You know what we have to do Aro, yet you hesitate to mention it."

Caius nodded,

"Marcus is right Aro, the girl must die along with your precious Cullens and if possible the Quileutes and the hunters. It's an ideal situation to use him in."

I sighed, the thought of setting The Major against my friend and his family wasn't one I wanted to think about but we knew it was fast becoming time when he would need to be deployed before he became uncontrollable. As if reading my mind Marcus nodded,

"Yes Aro, we knew that soon we would need to use The Major and although ridding ourselves of the Fraternidad was a tempting idea they can wait a little longer, they are hardly a threat right now. We were only considering them because there was no one else in our sights at present."

Caius snorted,

"It would have been a waste of our asset, the Fraternidad are no real threat to us, they are a weak shadow of their forebears and far less dangerous than the Vânători. I don't know why you allowed those hunters to go unmolested for so long."

"I told you before, they provide us with a service, if they were targeting important vampires I would have destroyed them long ago."

"Well, now dear brother we can use The Major to sweep a few loose ends away at the same time, it's a win-win situation for us."

"Yes. Aro, Marcus is right, there is no excuse to delay."

"Very well, I'll send a messenger off to find him, he doesn't have a cell phone so it would seem to be the only way to deliver his orders."

Marcus leaned forward smiling exultantly,

"No need to worry yourself, Aro, we sent word as soon as we heard what had happened, The Major should have his orders very soon."

I closed my eyes in defeat, they had outmaneuvered me and there was nothing to be done now but wait for the carnage to begin.

"Are you sure this is the way forward? Surely we should have put it to the vote."

Sulpicia leaned forward and touched my arm,

"We did husband. You have refused to see how dangerous Carlisle and his family are for too long and when Marcus came to me with his proposal I knew we had to act so I gave your permission. Remember you gave me the power to make decisions on your behalf if you were not available Aro?"

I found it hard to believe that my own wife had thrown in her lot with my brothers but then she had never been a fan of Carlisle, in fact, I suspected she was jealous of the close bond between us so it was my own fault, I should have thought of such an eventuality before giving Sulpicia such power.

"Oh, just one thing Aro, it would be inadvisable to attempt warning Carlisle, there's nothing he can do and Caius and I would see such an action as a betrayal."

I nodded, Marcus was right, there was nothing Carlisle could do to protect his family even if he were to be warned that they were about to be destroyed but I would miss my friend despite his somewhat annoying beliefs.

There was nothing to be done now and I knew my every move would be monitored to ensure I made no effort to speak to Carlisle. My main concern if they did but know it was in deciding on a new identity for The Major and concocting a story to explain his disappearance, after all, he wouldn't be seen any longer. This had been our greatest challenge over the centuries, it would have been dangerous for anyone to realize that the Volturi assassin and main enforcer was one single immortal especially as this one would have no memory of his past, or rather various pasts. The strangest thing of all was that although he didn't look any different to us, his masters, none of those who had known him in a particular role ever seemed to recognize him afterward.

Marcus

For the first time we had been one step ahead of Aro and this time he would understand what it felt like to be the last to know and powerless to do anything about it. Sulpicia had been our greatest ally, she had never particularly liked Carlisle and resented the close relationship between himself and her husband. It had played into our hands as we grasped the opportunity this mess dropped quite literally into our laps. Getting the message to The Major hadn't been easy, we had sent out three different messengers when it became impossible to contact him directly but until we had a positive response I would continue to monitor communications. I had an idea that Darius might have a way of contacting The Major if asked to do so by Carlisle, the two of them were close, much too close for our liking. Caius had wanted to send The Major after Darius many years ago but as Aro pointed out, he was not to be used to square personal grudges. This time though, Darius was a part of the equation and as so would be on the kill list The Major would be handed.

When I finally got a hit on a phone call placed between two cell phones and saw the names Jasper, Bella, and Darius I knew this was my opportunity. I listened in to the conversation using a new and very hard to detect program I had developed for just such an occasion hoping to hear that one or the other would be calling The Major and I wasn't disappointed, here was my chance!

I waited ready to break in as soon as I heard The Majors voice even if it took me all day. In seconds my words would turn him from the peace loving Cullen he had striven so hard to become, into what he really was, the ultimate killing machine and with a little luck would destroy more of our enemies in a single war than we could ever have hoped for. I had been tracking the Vânători too, curious as to why this particular act had prompted them into such action. They usually hunted down nomads who were preying on humans so why did they suddenly drop everything and rush to help this particular human. Was there more to this than we knew? Unfortunately, we were never likely to find the answer to this question but I was less concerned with that than wiping out some of our enemies at this, the best opportunity to come our way for a very long time.

 **Jasper**

I felt better after my meal of wolf blood and went back inside to check on Bella who was just stirring so I activated a hiking food pack and poured some bottled water into a mug so when Bella was properly awake she would have a hot meal and a drink ready for her. She ate hurriedly shooting questions at me between mouthfuls.

"What now? How long will it be before things settle down? I mean the Quileutes can't stay away too long can they? Not if as you say their main responsibility is to keep the tribe safe? You don't think they'll tell my dad the truth and put him in danger too do you?"

I put a hand up to stop her flow,

"We wait, I have no idea, they can't stay away too long no but they could ask for help from the guardian tribes here in Alaska and no, they wouldn't risk putting your dad in danger. Was that everything?"

She smiled at me sticking her tongue out,

"I'm still getting my head around all this Jasper, it's not easy. Oh yes, any news on these hunter people?"

"I'm going to contact Darius soon, he'll know where they are and should have some more information for us. I don't plan on staying here long."

She looked around then frowned,

"Well, it's not exactly comfortable but then I guess beggars can't be choosers. Where do you think he'll send us next? I mean it must be almost impossible to hide successfully from so many...people."

She stopped talking and I could see her hands were shaking as they clasped her mug. I sank down beside her looking into her face,

"Bella, you have every right to be scared but I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and I hope maybe one day you'll be able to go home but it's vital that the Volturi never find out you know what I really am, so be extremely careful what you say, to anyone."

She nodded swallowing convulsively.

"I will. By the way, what will you do about eating? I mean can you get what you need up here?"

She was blushing now and I felt how much courage it took her to ask me.

"I've already dined Bella but thank you for your concern, there's plenty of wildlife for me to choose from, it's easier than if I lived on human blood in a remote area."

She hesitated,

"What's it like? I mean do you feel hungry like me? How do you...I mean do you drink straight from the animal's veins? Sorry, that was rude, it's just, well I guess I'm curious, the only knowledge I have of vampires is from horror movies and Stoker's novel and I guess they are pretty well off the mark. After all, you don't carry a coffin full of earth around with you and daylight doesn't bother you. Do you..."

She peered at me intently,

"Your eyes, they're golden, not red and you don't have fangs."

This time I laughed out loud,

"True, I don't have fangs but my own teeth are sharp enough to slice through flesh and my eyes are only the color they are because I live on animal blood and most of those are herbivores. If I drank human blood they would be red."

"I'm sorry, it must be embarrassing answering all these questions, I'm just curious but I promise no more, for a while any how."

She was assimilating everything she'd heard and making sense of it but at least she was no longer scared. The fact that she trusted me with her life made me feel good, a part of Bella must recognize me for what I was, what she meant to me although I didn't think either of us was ready for that particular conversation just yet.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

 **Renee**

We stopped the truck well away from the position where Bella had stopped and moved forward on foot until we were close enough to see the shack through binoculars. It was in a good position defensively, we couldn't creep up on it unseen even if Bella's companion had been a human and not a vampire with heightened senses. Dan and Richard went off to make their way behind the wooden structure and check out the ground while the rest of us watched as the vampire appeared alone.

"Bella's in the shack alone. Do you think she's tied up?"

"No, after all, where would she go if she tried to escape? She'd die before finding her way out of this wilderness, he's clever."

"Are you sure she's still alive Renee? I don't get why he's dragging her around the country, it doesn't make any sense."

"She's alive, she has to be Karl. Keep watching, I'm going to contact Nan, see if she's got anything more for us."

"Yeah, like the way to neutralize the Incredible Hulk if he goes on a rampage, that would be useful."

I nodded without really hearing him and called Nan for an update.

"Renee, I'm really sorry but I haven't been able to get anything more and the Volturi suspect someone is snooping around. They're chasing down my program and I'm gonna have to kill it soon."

"OK, thanks for trying. Any news on movement among the Volturi or the Quileutes?"

"I'm trying to monitor communications to and from Volterra but they are looking for that so it's not easy but there's one bit of good news, the Quileutes have stood down. A direct order from Johnny H I think, he's concerned that any nomads hearing of the trouble in Forks might try their luck knowing the area isn't defended."

"The Cullens would never allow that, it's their personal, playground but it works for us, one less thing to worry about. Anything on Bella's father?"

"He's pushing for as much help as possible. I think the FBI may be getting involved as it's being looked on as an abduction and they may well have crossed state lines as nothing has been found in and around Forks. He's also been in contact with the Canadian police and they are watching the border."

"No one suspects that she's got as far as Alaska then?"

"Not that I've heard but Charlie Swan is pretty frantic, he's not going to stop until he gets Bella back."

"Yeah well, my ex-husband always was stubborn and ornery so I'm not surprised He must be feeling guilty, losing her on his watch."

"You sound bitter."

I laughed harshly,

"I guess that's because I feel bitter. I left Bella in one of the safest places I knew and in the hands of her cop father and she still gets herself abducted by a vampire, go figure it."

I'd only just finished speaking to Nan when Dan reported in, he'd seen movement inside the shack and I heaved a sigh of relief to know that our theory was correct, my baby was still alive.

"He's got a cell phone so Nan might want to try intercepting any calls although he's not using it yet. The animal's fed so we can forget him weakening or leaving her to go hunting. He caught a wolf drinking at the lake and he was alone."

"Thank God Bella wasn't subjected to that."

"Yeah, it was pretty disgusting, he took it down just like a lion and disposed of the body in the lake, maybe he didn't want her to see it."

I waited wondering what was happening and then he came back to me, "Just a minute, the girl's coming out of the shack, she's not restrained and she's talking all cozy with the vampire. Guess she really doesn't know what a monster he is."

"I certainly hope not Dan. Is there any way to sneak up closer from your direction?"

"Nope, he's got a clear killing field, a good choice and I can't see you getting close enough to use your gift before alerting him Renee, unless of course, we can distract him somehow, lure him out and get his full attention."

"How?"

"Well, I just happen to have a couple of black cloaks and if we appear in the far distance he might mistake us for the Volturi and try to lure us away from Bella. He seems to have made some kind of connection with her and he might just want to protect her."

"I don't like it, Dan, it makes my skin crawl just thinking about him so close to my little girl. We need to get her away from him before something terrible happens so I guess we'll try your plan."

I didn't like putting any of my comrades in danger but he was right and it just might work.

Dan and Karl who was big enough to be mistaken for the Volturi guard Felix threw on the cloaks when just out of sight of the vampire, the other side of the lake while the rest of us closed the distance as much as we dared, ready to run in and grab Bella as soon as it was safe to do so. Richard had the flame thrower slung over his back having checked the igniter three times to make sure it was functioning properly and then we waited, eyes straining through the binoculars to be ready the moment he recognized the "Volturi" and made his move. If he didn't, if he decided to stay put and defend her at the shack then we would need to think of something else quickly.

 **Jasper**

Bella had come out of the shack blinking in the bright sunlight as I stood to scan our surroundings for any hint someone was coming. She smiled when she saw me and ran over to join me at the edge of the lake.

"See anything? Actually thinking about it, just how far can you see?"

I shrugged,

"Not as far as I'd like but a lot further than you and no, I haven't seen anything yet but if we stay here much longer then I'm afraid that will change."

She moved closer and took my hand,

"Do you know where this Darius is likely to send us next? IS he a friend of yours?"

"No, he's Carlisle's friend and very handy in a situation like this from all I've heard. He has eyes and ears everywhere."

She nodded shading her eyes with her free hand to see into the distance.

"Will it come to a fight if the Volturi or the Quileutes turn up? I mean, you can't possibly fight everyone, you'll be hurt or killed."

"I can hold my own Bella, at least long enough for you to get away and that's all that matters. Do you think you could ride the motorbike alone?"

She turned to look at the machine half hidden by the log pile.

"I guess do, Jake showed me how all the controls worked, he said it was like riding a bike with an engine."

I pulled the keys from my pocket and handed them to her,

"If trouble comes I want you to get on the bike and ride south as fast as you can safely. Get to the border and stay among people, as many as possible, tell the cops you were kidnapped and you escaped. Your dad will come for you and when you get back to Forks tell the Quileute elders that you need protection. The Volturi won't start a fight with them on home turf so you'll be safe enough there."

She shook her head,

"No, I'm not just going to run away and leave you to fight."

I turned and lifted her chin to look directly into her beautiful brown eyes,

"Yes, you will Bella. You'll do exactly what I say, I'm doing this to keep you safe and I need you to do just as I say. I'll be fine and even if I'm not I need to know that you are."

She stared at me and I saw her eyes fill with tears,

"I won't let you die to save my life."

"And my life will mean nothing if you aren't safe, Bella so I guess it's all up to you."

She frowned,

"You told me you were keeping me safe for the oldest reason in the world and I didn't understand what you meant but I think I do now."

She lifted her hands to cup my face,

"You knew I wasn't in love with Edward any longer but did you know why?"

"I wasn't sure but I dared to hope that you may have felt something for me, as I do for you, Bella."

As she pulled my head down towards her face I noticed a movement in the far distance and pulled free.

"Someone's coming and it's not going to be Darius, not without a heads up. You know what to do Bella."

For a moment I thought she was going to argue but then with a quick nod and a kiss on my cheek she ran towards the motorbike. I concentrated on the figures moving closer and made out the black cloaks, so the Volturi had found us first after all. Scanning all around I didn't see any more black dots and hoped that meant this would be a frontal attack as I braced myself for action moving towards them to ensure Bella had as big a head start as I could possibly give her.

It wasn't until they were closer that I could see I had been mistaken, this wasn't the Volturi, although the bigger of the two was almost the same size as Felix he didn't walk as light-footed and his shoulders slumped forward. Then I heard heartbeats, these were humans dressed as Volturi guards to fool me and they could only have one reason to do that, they were here to free Bella. The very fact they knew of the Volturi ruled them out as being members of the police force, this wasn't Bella's father, these were vampire hunters, the very ones Darius had warned me of.

I wasn't sure what to do, Bella was in no danger from them even if they caught her up and if so they would protect her from the Volturi if they could. In their eyes, I was the greatest danger to her and I wondered how much they knew about me. Would they be prepared to take me on in a fight if they really knew who they were facing or would they turn and run when they got word that Bella was safe? I didn't want to kill anyone, least of all the people who were trying to protect Bella, after all, they weren't to know that I was no danger to her. I was curious as to why they had hunted us down and how they managed it so quickly but I doubted they would be willing to tell me their motives or their sources of information.

Deciding that retreat would be the least violent way out of the situation I began to back towards the shack then turned and ran. I needed to be sure that Bella was indeed safe and then I could melt away into the shadows where I could watch over her and when things settled down and the Volturi saw that she knew nothing, she wouldn't forget I had warned her to say nothing, and let her be I could find a way back into her life, if she still felt the same way after hearing all the hunters lies.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

 **Bella**

I hated the thought of running away and leaving Jasper to face whatever danger loomed but I understood that he needed a clear head to fight and my presence would just be a distraction so I went. Getting onto the bike was difficult enough, it was way heavier than the one Jake had owned but I was relieved to see that the controls were much the same. The roar of the engine as I turned the key in the ignition shattered the near silence of the place but I didn't hang around, I set off riding south along the rutted track that wound its way around the rise in the ground away from the lake and danger.

I hadn't got very far when I saw movement ahead and slowed, could this be Jasper's friend coming? I had no idea what he looked like or even if he was a vampire or a human although I tended towards the former. The closer I got, the better I could see them, they were on the track now and I would have to get past them if I wanted to get away. I saw that they were human, their skin was hued, not white and they didn't have that unearthly beauty that all vampires seemed to possess. That meant they wouldn't be a threat to me but why were they blocking my path? Surely if these were the hunters they would have seen I was OK and have gone on, in which case I must try to delay them, or were they just determined to check for themselves? The chances that these people were merely at the wrong place at the wrong time seemed too much of a coincidence but if they were hunters could they be aware of the Volturi up ahead? Maybe by going on, they would help Jasper to escape by distracting the vampire police. It was an awful thing to hope that they might die that he could live but I couldn't help myself, the thought I might never see him again was just too terrible to contemplate.

One of the figures put up a hand and shouted for me to stop, that they were friends and meant me no harm. Both sides of the track were blocked with boulders and trees which I dare not try to ride through so I slowed to a halt a few feet away from them my hand on the throttle ready to gun the engine at the first sign of a threat.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

A man with short red hair glanced behind as if checking for orders then spoke.

"We came to free you from the one who was holding you, you were in great danger."

So they were the hunters, I had been right and I knew I should have kept quiet but I couldn't help defending Jasper.

"Not from him I wasn't, he protected me from the guy who tried to kill me."

Again the stranger looked back at one of those standing behind but although I strained to see who it was the figure stood in the shadows. he turned back once more,

"You say he saved your life?"

"Yes, so you should leave him be."

As I said it I knew I had made a mistake, they exchanged glances and I understood that they had realized I knew what they were and what Jasper was but I had to try and persuade them to leave him alone.

"If you want to help you should go on and stop the others from killing him."

"Oh, I don't think they'll need our help, they are quite capable of exterminating his kind. We've had lots of practice."

There was something wrong here but I knew I had to do as Jasper had said and I gunned the engine,

"Move or I'll run you down."

He looked at me and moved nervously as I started to turn very slowly trying to watch all of them at the same time then suddenly the figure at the back moved forward pushing him aside and I started in shock almost killing the engine,

"You!"

I recognized the woman standing there looking at me intently although I'd never seen her in the flesh before, only her face in a photograph holding me as a baby with a huge smile on her face. There was a different, more wary smile there now.

"I wasn't sure you'd recognize me, Isabella, where do you think you are going?"

"Back to Jasper."

She frowned shaking her head in response,

"No, I won't allow that, you are out of danger now and you will stay out of danger."

"Really? I don't recognize you or any power you may think you have over me so get out of the way or I'll run you down."

I gunned the engine completing the turn and then suddenly every muscle in my body seemed to melt, the strength running out of them and I lost control of the heavy machine but as it toppled over my mother motioned to her companions and they grabbed me before I hit the ground beneath it.

"Right go, the others might need some help."

I looked up helplessly from the ground where they had laid me as the two women and one guy headed off in the direction of the lake and Jasper. Then it hit me, the figures Jasper had taken for the Volturi were, in fact, some of the hunters in disguise. I tried to get to my feet, to follow them but could only make it as far as my knees before my strength gave out, what was happening to me?

 **Renee**

I hated using my gift on my own daughter but I would not allow her to go back to the vampire who it seemed had such a hold over her. I knelt beside her and took her hands in mine but she pulled free scowling at me,

"Don't touch me."

"I understand you are confused Isabella but now you are free of his influence you'll begin to see things more clearly. I couldn't allow you to return to him, besides..."

I gazed over her head hoping to see a cloud of smoke but there was nothing as yet. I should have gone with my comrades but I couldn't bear to leave my baby girl after seeing her at last, a beautiful young woman with fire in her eyes, just like me.

"If you think you're going to defeat him you're very much mistaken."

"Perhaps, but we are very competent at what we do Isabella."

"It's Bella and just what do you do? After all, I don't know you."

I knew she was angry and hurt with good reason but I also knew once she understood the real truth about our world she would finally understand why I had left her and her father.

"There's a phone back at the truck, would you like to ring Charlie? He must be desperately worried about you. Then once this is over and we've had a chance to talk about what you can say I'll take you home."

She stared at me with contempt and I have to admit that hurt.

"Talk? You mean you give the orders about what I can and can't say once you know what I know? I don't take orders from you and I already understand the risks of talking about the others."

So, the vampire had warned her? That was strange unless of course, he was planning on keeping her, maybe even changing her. How ironic if it had come to that, I ended up hunting down and killing the very person I had given life to.

"Come, you'll start to feel better soon, it wears off pretty quickly but I don't think we should hang around here, it's too dangerous. We aren't the only people hunting your vampire but I think we may be the only ones apart from the Volturi leaders who understand just how dangerous he could become."

"Jasper would never harm me and I am not going anywhere with you."

 **Bella**

I looked at her steadily as I spoke,

"Oh yes you are, your only choice is how you go, willingly or unwillingly. I didn't give you up all those years ago only to see you die now, Isabella."

I tried to struggle, to stay here and make sure Jasper lived but then I found I couldn't struggle any more, my muscles were like liquid and she half carried half dragged me down the track to a large truck that was parked blocking the way.

She opened the door and shoved me inside then got in beside me pushing me across the seat and taking her place behind the wheel. I thought we were leaving but instead, she drove the truck just a short way before forcing it between the trees until it was completely hidden from the view of anyone passing by.

"I'm sorry Isabella. You're going to have one hell of a headache when you wake up but it's the only way to keep you safe right now seeing as you refuse to cooperate."

I expected her to lift her arm and hit me with something but instead, she gazed intently into my face, our eyes locking and all of a sudden everything began to fade from view.

 **Renee**

I hated leaving Isabella here all alone but I thought she was safe enough for a short while and I needed to be sure my comrades were safe and had dispatched the vampire so we could all go home. I badly needed time alone with my daughter to break her free of the vampire. Once she understood just what he was I knew she would be filled with revulsion like the rest of us. Maybe this had happened for a reason, my dad always said I should trust fate, perhaps my daughter was destined to take my place among the Vânători in the fullness of time despite my best efforts to keep her ignorant of her heritage.

I made my way back to the shack and stopped horrified at the scene that confronted me. The ground was red with blood and black with the effects of the flame-thrower so the Volturi ruse had worked at least for a while, long enough to distract the vampire allowing Richard to get within range but they had lost the battle and guilt hit me, if I'd been here I might have been able to stop him. I could see body parts on the ground twisted in death and ran over to see who I had lost. Dan and Karl lay ripped apart as if they had been through a garden shredder and unable to prevent it I vomited long and painfully. When I was able to pull myself together I went to investigate the other heaps that had once been my family, Melody, Claire and Malcolm our latest recruit.

I took a deep breath and scanned the horizon just in time to see a flash of flame in the distance, Richard was still alive? If so then he needed my help and I began to run as fast as I could in the direction of the flash. As I got closer I could see that Richard had found a defensible position among some rocks where he could see the vampire without giving him any way in.

I steadied myself regained my breath and started forward and as I did so I could see something had changed, this vampire was not like any others but even so...I recollected my flippant words to Nan, the vampire berserker, it had been said partly in jest but as he whirled to face me I gasped in shock. There was no humanity in this face only pure evil. There was only one thing in its mind, destruction, he reminded me of a crazed rabid dog but much more dangerous. A tongue of flame shot out and he only just avoided it giving me a second to focus my gift and send it towards him waiting to see him collapse. He did hesitate for a moment shaking his head but then pulled himself to his full height and take off. He might have felt my gift but it didn't affect him enough to give me an opportunity to launch a killing attack. Instead, he had run but I had no illusion that this was the end, he would be back and I knew that somehow the Volturi leaders had gotten their message to their killing machine and he was now on a mission. I had no doubt that this mission included killing me and any other hunters he could find but who else was on his hit list? Richard came out to join me and we turned back to where I had left Bella relieved that the vampire had turned in the opposite direction wondering just who he would be hunting next. My daughter would never know just how close she came to being killed in the most violent and horrifying way possible.

 **I'm finally back in civilisation and things should be back to normal tomorrow, sorry to keep you all waiting. Love Jules xx**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter Nineteen**

 **Jasper**

I had only run a few steps when I heard my cell phone ringing insistently and pulled up to answer it expecting to hear Darius but instead, it was another voice and one that I vaguely recognized although I couldn't put a name to it. That happened sometimes, I felt I was trapped between two worlds not entirely in either. Was it possible for a vampire to suffer from split personalities? The words were in a language I didn't recognize but I understood it never the less and translated automatically.

**"Ridica sabia ta".

As I listened the rest of the words drew me in deeper and deeper, forcing layers of my brain to peel back until the very core was exposed and I didn't need to think any longer, nothing mattered now but the voice and the orders it gave me.

"Listen very carefully to my words and forget everything else. Your targets are as follows, Carlisle Cullen, Edward Cullen, all members of the Vânători who cross your path, any of the Quileute wolf pack that get in your way, and most important of all... Isabella Swan. Do you understand?"

"Completely."

The line went dead and I dropped the phone to the ground, I didn't need it any longer, I had my task, a long list of targets but it was what I was born to do, destroy the enemies of my masters. I could feel the power flowing through me, my muscles bursting with energy, my mind focused on slaughter, and I laughed exultantly, I was going to enjoy this.

I turned back to face my enemies, recognizing them as Vânători, they were on my list and they were about to die.

It was easy to take the two fools dressed in black cloaks, they were slow and weak, their fragile bodies easily torn to pieces, their blood spurting out to cover everything around us including me but I had no wish to drink it, my thirst had disappeared quenched by the thrill of the slaughter. I had just finished with the other hunters who had tried a surprise ambush from the rear when I caught sight of the warrior with the weapon and smiled. Did he really think something so basic as a flame-thrower could catch me unawares? That I would be so easy to kill?

He was cunning though, he'd checked out his surroundings and found a good defensive position although it would not save him. I knew the shiny metal cylinder carried only so much of the flammable liquid and once it was depleted he would be mine. All I had to do was to feint and draw his fire and as the jet of flame became shorter and less powerful I knew it was time and moved in for the kill only to be distracted by another figure closing in. I turned to face it, a woman, another Vânători and this one had the look of a leader but as our eyes met I felt a jolt run through my body. She had something special this one, a gift, but not one that I would allow to influence me, I had one of my own and absorbed hers as easily as sipping blood from her veins, yet something on her face stopped me from attacking. It was her eyes, in the dim recesses of my mind they resonated, looked vaguely familiar, which confused me.

This wasn't good, I needed a clear head to fulfill my mission and I felt confused, unsure of myself for the first time ever. I decided these two could wait, I would hunt them down later, first I needed to regroup. Having made my decision I left the battlefield immediately knowing the Vânători were almost destroyed, the two remaining would be mine eventually but for now... I shivered as I ran, my mind in turmoil. I had never experienced this feeling before and I needed to understand it before I faced the female again.

 **Aro**

Marcus had a look of triumph on his face as he walked in,

"I have contacted The Major directly and given him his orders. You will be pleased to hear that I spared some of your friends dear brother. His kill list includes only Carlisle and Edward Cullen, the others I will allow to live but I don't expect your thanks for my mercy."

I grimaced, he was right there and although i knew my best option was to remain silent I couldn't stop myself,

"Who else is to die?"

"The Vânători, any Quileutes who get in his way and the human girl of course. A tidy solution to all our problems in one swoop and Alec, Chelsea, and Demetri are poised to leave. They know the routine, Felix will track The Major from here and once his mission is completed they will put him down and bring him home. It's been too long since we sent our pit bull out to play, he was becoming soft in Carlisle's company but now we shall see him in all his glory once again."

His wide smile had nothing to do with seeing The Major in action once more, I had no illusions regarding that. No, my dear brother was looking forward to hearing that the Cullens had been destroyed, both my friend and a gift I would have preferred to see in the guard. Marcus may not know why he hated me but he enjoyed every opportunity to hurt me and having Caius on his side was an extra treat for him.

I knew I was being watched, even my dearest Sulpicia had turned on me but then I should have expected that, she resented Carlisle and jealousy was both destructive and dangerous. It was my own fault for not watching our world more closely, I had allowed Marcus to snatch the initiative and now I had to find a way to warn Carlisle of the imminent danger because despite Marcus not naming the other Cullens in The Major's orders he would kill anyone who got in his way and the rest of the family wouldn't stand by idly and watch Carlisle and Edward murdered. I would not be responsible for the death of my closest friend and all those he loved if it were possible to prevent the slaughter.

I may not be able to send a warning in person but I had access to someone who would and I set off to find him with the excuse of watching the latest batch of recruits for the Guard being put through their paces. Every few centuries Felix would go on a hunting expedition looking for possible recruits, we always lost a few to death or relationships that distracted them from the job at hand and it brought in fresh blood so to speak. It wasn't unusual for me to check the new possibilities and no one raised an eyebrow when I joined him in the training arena deep under the citadel.

As he pointed out the newcomers and the skills that had put them on his radar I spoke to him very softly. We had devised an emergency code many years ago although I knew Felix had considered me paranoid at the time but now when he heard the words he continued as if nothing had changed. I told him that I had found a new book in the archives I thought he might find interesting, "From Sumer to Rome" by a new author, giving him the stack and shelf numbers. If anyone heard us and went to check they would find a book on Ancient Warfare, just the kind of book Felix would find fascinating and more recent than anything he had read before. Where he would really go was to the stack four up and the shelf eight down from the top. The book would be wrongly filed and only when he put it back in its right place would he find my message. Luckily I spent a lot of my time in the archives and found it easy to secrete the message for my faithful friend in its place.

 **Felix**

I had known there was dissent in Volterra, it was impossible to live there and not feel the tension but I had never known Aro to be outmaneuvered before so I was curious to find out just what he needed of me. I didn't go straight to the archives, that would have been too obvious, instead, I waited until several hours had passed and then accompanied Alec who stayed close by until I found the book Aro had suggested and settled down to read. He soon became bored and wandered off but I stayed put another half hour, the book was quite fascinating although he had made certain statements I knew to be erroneous from personal experience.

Only when I was certain I was alone did I shut the book and wander around the bookshelves picking up editions from time to time and examining the flyleaves. I put together a small pile that I would take back to my rooms including the book Aro had left the message inside then left the archives and sauntered slowly back to the exercise area where several of the guards congregated each evening to hone their skills. Assuring myself that everything was as it should be I left the citadel by the usual exit, walked clear of the town and began my usual routine of climbing to the top of the mountain and meditating up there for several hours. I had begun this ritual as a way of leaving Volterra without causing suspicion should I ever need to do so but I had found it therapeutic, studying the stars or watching the sun rise.

Once sure I was still alone I took out a cell phone I had obtained illicitly and rang Carlisle explaining the situation to him.

"Jasper is coming to kill us? But why? Under whose orders? I don't understand."

"I don't have time to go into details Carlisle. The Major isn't what you think he is and if he tracks you down he will kill you, Edward, and anyone who stands in his way. You need to go now, and keep moving if you want to live."

"Isn't it a little extreme? I mean killing Edward and I because one of the Volturi gave away their real nature to Bella? That's hardly my fault and I can't believe that Jasper would turn on me, or Edward."

"Listen, my job was to warn you, what you choose to do with the warning is your concern but trust me if he finds you then you are dead."

"So Jasper is connected to the Volturi but how?"

"I have to go, lay low Carlisle although I don't fancy your chances of survival."

I cut him off before he could ask me any more questions. I didn't have most of the answers and those I did have I wouldn't be telling him. Carlisle could live or die as he chose, I had to get back so Aro would know I had passed on his warning, there was nothing else either of us could do.

I'd seen The Major in action many years before and even the thought of it made me feel cold for there was nothing behind those lifeless eyes, he was like a shark circling his prey and then BAM! The prey just ceased to exist, it was that simple.

 ****"Ridica sabia ta." Romanian for "pick up your sword". According to Google Translate.**

 **From Sumer to Rome. Author Richard A Gabriel**


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

 **Carlisle**

I sat staring at the phone unable to believe what I had just heard although it was obvious that Felix hadn't been joking. I had always defended the Volturi and their laws but this was crazy, how could it be right to send a killer after two people who had done nothing, broken no laws? After all, there was no evidence that Bella was even aware of our world.

There were things about Jasper that I didn't know but I had never pried nor had I ever believed him dishonest or overtly violent by nature despite his bloodstained past yet Felix intimated much more although he made it clear he wasn't going to fill me in on the details. The very fact he appeared scared of the man he insisted on calling The Major spoke volumes.

When the confused and lost-looking young man called Jasper appeared on our doorstep with Alice I was happy enough to offer him sanctuary even though I had a feeling that he could be dangerous if circumstances dictated. He had told us a little of his past, how he had been a Confederate Major until he ran into a group of Mexican women he thought needed his help. How wrong he had been, one of them, Maria, had bitten him and turned him into the commander of her newborn army. With his help, she had been able to take control of the Southern covens bringing peace, albeit a shaky one, to the area which had been torn apart by infighting among competing groups.

At first, I had accepted everything he said at face value but as time passed something didn't ring true about his story even though I had never thought he was being deliberately dishonest. He had no memory of his human life besides the facts surrounding his meeting with Maria and while many vampires found it increasingly difficult to remember their human lives as time passed they always had some memories, the basic ones, family, the town of their birth maybe, but Jasper just shrugged and told us it was just a blank. Even when Edward snooped inside his mind, much against my will, he couldn't find anything, nothing more than Jasper had told us, his past just wasn't there.

When I had questioned Alice more closely about her first meeting with him she had admitted she hadn't seen him in one of her visions, she had heard about him from an acquaintance, IN fact she had never seen Jasper in a vision of the future, it was as if he existed only in the here and now which was slightly alarming especially now.

After hearing from Felix I was troubled, had Jasper been a spy sent here by the Volturi to watch over us? Is that why Aro had said he would do as always, follow orders? The mystery was deeper than that, I could feel it. There was a connection between Jasper and the Volturi, a secret connection that meant he would hunt down the family that had taken him in and kill at least some of us. It was barely credible but I couldn't afford to ignore Aro's warning. We needed to get away quickly even if it meant bringing suspicion down on us for Bella's disappearance, after all, I could hardly tell Charlie why we were really leaving town.

When I got back and explained the situation to the others I was met with a stunned silence and then skepticism before finally Rosalie shook her head and spoke,

"I don't believe it, Carlisle, Jasper would never hurt us, that's just ridiculous. Aro is trying to pull the family apart with lies. You know he hates the idea of us all living in peace around the humans. He said it couldn't be done and you proved him wrong."

"I wish I could agree with you Rosalie but I heard Felix voice, he was genuinely afraid of Jasper and I don't think Aro would lie to me about this, as one of my oldest friends he's just trying to keep us alive. We can't afford to ignore his warning."

"So what? Are we just going to run away? With no idea what's going to happen to Bella? Leave Jasper to keep her safe all on his own? We can't just turn our backs on him because Aro says we should."

"I'm sorry Rose but I don't think we have any choice. Once I know you are all safe I'll attempt to contact Jasper and see if I can find out just what is going on."

Even Esme was unhappy at leaving so precipitously but helped me to hurry the others along taking only what we could carry in our cars. She, Emmett, and Rosalie would make their way to Isle Esme with Alice while Edward and I found somewhere to dig in and wait. If Jasper really was coming to find us then it would be best if we stayed well clear of the others, keeping them safe while at the same time watching out for Jasper and discovering just who he really was if we could.

We saw the others off in Esme's car headed for the airport and the next flight to Rio then went into town to speak to Charlie. I would do all I could to avoid his suspicion of our sudden departure using a family drama as an excuse.

"I'm sorry to hear Esme's sister is so ill and I understand you want to be there for her but what about the kids? Won't they stay on to finish out the school year?"

"Her illness is likely to be a protracted one and I would prefer to keep the family together, they've had so much disruption in their lives already Chief Swan. I'm just sorry we won't be here to welcome Bella back when you find her."

His attention flickered to Edward for a moment and I could see the distaste in his eyes, he really didn't like my son.

"Yeah well, I guess you leaving does have its silver lining, you know I was never happy about Edward and my daughter dating but I'm surprised he's willing to go without knowing what happened to his girlfriend."

He was suspicious and I needed to quash that but Edward stepped in,

"I think you should know that Bella had broke things off with me before she went missing. We were just saying goodbye really, something I know will please you Chief Swan but I hope you get Bella back, she's a wonderful girl."

"Yes she is, and I will find her Edward, if it takes till the end of time, I will find my little girl."

He turned his attention back to me,

"Leave contact details, Dr. Cullen, just in case I need to speak to you or your son and I'd advise against leaving the country in the short term."

It was as close as he could get to telling us that Edward was still a person of interest in Bella's disappearance and I nodded my understanding giving him both mine and Edward's personal cell phone numbers before we left.

Once outside and in my car we felt safe to talk again,

"Where are we going now, Carlisle?"

I picked up my phone which began to ring as I answered him,

"To meet with the only man who can tell me the truth if he will if he can find out that is. We can't run and hide forever son. If Aro is speaking the truth then we have a bounty on our heads and if Jasper doesn't find us then the Volturi will send others, Demetri, maybe even Felix."

"What about Aro? Can't he find a way to help?"

"If he can stop this madness he will but I rather think he has been outmaneuvered by his brothers on this occasion."

"So you do believe him? Believe that it's Caius and Marcus, not Aro, who have sent this killer to find us?"

"Yes, I do. Aro has always protected me from the others who always saw me as a danger to our kind, even if he doesn't understand my beliefs. It would seem that Caius and Marcus somehow used Bella's disappearance and Ezra's death to turn the hounds on us and we have to find a way to stop them, Jasper too if its true he is a Volturi spy."

"I'm not sure I believe that either. Sure Jazz and I weren't that close but I never once sensed danger from him, Alice didn't either. Maybe the Volturi are just using this as an excuse to break the family up."

I wanted to agree, to say he was correct, but something deep inside stopped me and I hated it, hated feeling so unsure and suspicious of someone I had treated like a son.

Once free of Forks I stopped and called Darius explaining the warning I had received and asked if he knew anything about Jasper that should worry me.

"If I knew anything I would have warned you Carlisle but I'll do some digging, maybe we were all too quick to accept The Major but his past was so horrific I guess I never expected there to be something even worse hidden behind it. Give me an hour or two, where are you headed now?"

I hadn't been sure when I began to drive but now I turned the car around,

"Back to the house, the last place anyone will expect to find us. We have a safe room built below the house and if necessary Edward and I can hide in there for a while."

"OK, but keep your phone on and listen out, I'll keep my eyes and ears open and if I find anything to worry you I'll give you a shout. In the meantime, I'll do a little digging in the Volturi computer. See what I can discover about The Major. Stay safe Carlisle."

"We'll do our best my friend."

Edward looked at me questioningly for a moment then shrugged,

"I guess that's as good a place as any to make a stand and at least the others are safe."

I nodded praying he was right about that.

Staying at the house posed problems in as much as we could not afford to be seen by any of the townsfolk or Charlie would be visiting and there would be more awkward questions. The Quileutes wouldn't say much, to admit they had seen us would be to raise questions, where, when? They never came anywhere near the house and Charlie already knew that from his friends Billy Black and Harry Clearwater. They couldn't tell him the true reason they disliked us but they made it clear that's how they felt. They must know by now that we were not the ones responsible for Bella's disappearance even if we were keeping her safe for now. None of us had hurt her, we had only acted when she was under threat from another but that wouldn't stop them from putting the blame at our feet. I just wondered how much, if anything, they knew of Jasper's secret.

I had trusted Jasper, with Darius' help, to find somewhere safe to hide with Bella until he was sure Bella knew nothing or if that were not the case that she understood the importance of pretending just that. Then Bella could reappear in Forks with some tale to explain her absence and it would all be over but now?

Whatever Aro said about Jasper being the Volturi's hit man I hated to believe he would harm either Bella or any of the family. True I had sent the family away and perhaps that proved I wasn't one hundred percent sure of my "son" and if I was wrong then Bella was probably already dead, her drained body lost forever in an unmarked grave somewhere in the mountains.

All I could hope for was that the ninety-nine per cent feeling was the right one and if not that Jasper would hunt Edward and me down and leave the others in peace, they were not on his list and were nowhere they could interfere with his task. I suppose I had always known that I would die one day although I had assumed it would be because I slipped up and allowed a human to see things they shouldn't have and that I should die alone. The thought I may have condemned my first son and an innocent human to death along with me was painful but I could see no way out of the situation at present but to run or hide.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty One**

 **Bella**

I woke up with a pounding headache and a sick stomach in a moving vehicle wondering where I was going and what had happened. It didn't take long for the memories to flood back however and I struggled to a sitting position to see two people in the front of an unfamiliar truck. One was a male I had never seen before but the other...well I knew her only too well and frantically tried to open the door. I was prepared to throw myself from the truck rather than go anywhere with her but the doors were locked, the handles ineffective.

The man turned to stare at me, his eyes cold and calculating,

"She doesn't look much like you Renee but I can see your stubbornness in her eyes."

My mother laughed although there was little humor in it,

"Isabella is her father's child, I can see him when I look at her."

I hated to hear her talk about us in that way, what right did she have?

"Yeah well, I had no choice in the matter did I? Neither did my dad. Now stop this truck and let me out."

She ignored my words and continued to drive so I pulled up my legs and jerked them as hard as I could into the back of her seat. Her head jerked forward and the truck came to a screeching halt as she hit the brakes hard and turned to me eyes blazing with anger.

"That was reckless and stupid Isabella, you could have caused an accident, now stop being so dramatic."

"Let me out."

"So you can run back to the beast? I don't think so."

She turned to her companion her face grave,

"He's brainwashed her Richard. We need somewhere we can take her to cool off and understand the truth. Somewhere he can't find her if he comes looking."

I knew just who she was talking about and she sounded worried which made me feel a little better.

"Oh, he will and I'll do everything in my power to help him find us."

She rubbed her neck where I had jolted it and sighed,

"See Richard, she has no idea how much danger she was in, or how much danger we are all in right now."

As she turned her attention back to me I saw the pain in her eyes but I understood it was not for me.

"That monster killed all our friends, he ripped them to pieces. I found their corpses or what was left of them spread over the ground. My friends, my family, all gone. Do you have any idea what that looked like? Or how dangerous he is Isabella? You are too young to understand and I will protect you whether you like it or not so sit back and shut up before I get Richard to tie you up and gag you."

I didn't shut up and as a result, I spent the next few hours hog-tied in the back seat of the truck with a dirty rag crammed into my mouth to keep me quiet. However, it didn't stop me altogether, I continued to squirm and thump the seats as best I could until finally exhausted and half choked I collapsed and lay still. I couldn't stop thinking about Jasper, how gentle and kind he had been to me, how I had felt in his presence, safe and cared for. I knew I loved him, had known that for a while and I truly believed he loved me too and refused to believe the lies this woman told me, expecting me to believe her just because she had given birth to me.

It was hot in the truck and even the jolting of the uneven track failed to stop me falling into an exhausted sleep which I only woke from when the truck finally came to a stop and cool air washed over me as Richard opened the rear door and slid me, still bound, from the back seat. I tried to struggle but I was tired, thirsty, and stiff and I no longer had the strength to make much of a job of it.

Looking around I saw we were in the parking lot of a run-down motel, its sign only half lit and that flickering feebly but I only had a second to check my surroundings as Richard moved quickly to the door my mother held open for him and then we were in an equally dimly lit room and he dropped me onto the threadbare counterpane of the bed. She came over and removed the rope that bound me then sat me up, leaning my back against the headboard.

"If I take the gag out will you promise not to scream?"

I felt sick and my mouth was sore but I refused to give in and shook my head.

"Then it will have to stay in for now. I don't want to hurt you, Isabella, I'm trying to keep you safe, please try to understand that. If you just promise to listen to what I have to say quietly without trying to escape you'll understand everything."

Richard disappeared for a while and my mother sat beside me gazing into my face,

"You are even more beautiful than I imagined. I missed you and your father and I dreamed that one day we would all be together again but I never expected us to meet like this."

She tried to stroke my face but I pulled back putting my hands up to push hers away and almost knocked her off the edge of the bed in the process.

I could see that had upset her but I really didn't care. How dare she just turn up in my life, snatch me from the man I loved and keep me a prisoner in some dump of a motel?

"I understand your hostility, I guess Charlie turned you against me. I don't blame him, I just wish he could have accepted that I had good reasons for leaving you both. I suppose I deserve your hatred and I understand that brought it on myself for breaking free of my destiny for a chance to get married and have a child but I never really expected to face you again. I tried so hard to ensure you would be safe from the creatures that live among us and hunt us for food."

So, she had known about vampires before she met my dad? Was that why she spent so much time on the reservation? Were the Quileutes her friends? If so they had known all these years why she left us in Forks and had kept her secret. So, all the time I thought Sue and the others had felt sorry for her abandonment they had really been watching over me for her? It was something I would never forgive them for, or her.

"Now you are angry with Sue and Harry, please don't be. They didn't know where I was, only that I knew about the vampires and I asked them to watch out for you. I made them promise not to tell you anything, it was to keep you safe, Isabella."

I rolled my eyes, well that little plan had backfired for sure!

We sat in silence after that until her companion got back. He was carrying several paper bags and I could smell Chinese and Mexican food and my mouth began to water making me gag. My mother pulled the rag from my mouth fearing I might choke to death I guess and I opened it to scream but she shook her head warningly and put a soft hand on it.

"Please Isabella, don't force me to use my gift on you again."

A gift? So that's how she had controlled me before! Why hadn't she used it again in the truck instead of having me tied up like a steer? Maybe she felt guilty? I liked that idea but I was too thirsty and tired to fight right now so I nodded reluctantly and she moved her hand away.

"Thank you, now come and eat, you must be starving. We can talk later."

I took the carton offered me by Richard and a can of soda which I drained almost in one gulp only stopping when I began to choke again.

"Slow down Isabella, I know you must be parched but give your throat a chance."

Ignoring her I took another can, popped the tab and began to eat slowly studying the other two as I did so. Was Richard my mother's new partner? Was he my dad's replacement? If so I didn't think much of him, true he was taller and more muscular but he was certainly no oil painting with a straggly beard and long shaggy brown hair. One side of his face was heavily scarred as if he had been in a fire years before and I noticed his right hand was missing two fingers and also bore the scars from a fire. He noticed my interest and smiled which twisted his mouth grotesquely,

"You are interested in my war wounds Isabella? I got these fighting vampires. Fire is the best way to destroy them, the only way really but occasionally it turns and bites its master too."

I didn't say anything but I understood now that my mother was a vampire hunter along with this strange brooding man and understood the friends she said she had seen dead at Jaspers hands must have been the others I had seen on the track. If he had killed them then it was only to protect himself, what else should he have done?

When we finished eating my mother sat down beside me on the bed and began to talk earnestly. She explained how she had been born into a family of vampire hunters, her father being the leader of a group and how she had left them because she wanted a normal life.

"That's when I met your father and fell in love."

She waited as if expecting some comment from me but she was out of luck there and began speaking again when she realized that.

"When my father became sick I had no choice but to return to the group, they needed me and my gift to stand a chance against the vampires. I wanted to protect you and Charlie and as soon as I discovered you were missing and vampires were involved I came looking for you."

Still not interested, except in how she traced me of course but when I asked her she just shook her head.

"Some things I am not prepared to divulge Isabella."

I changed tack and tried to explain to her what had happened and how Jasper had saved my life. How he planned on taking me home eventually, when and if it was safe. At first, I thought I might have gotten through to her, she smiled at me sadly but Richard just burst out laughing.

"A vampire bodyguard? I've heard it all now, you really are stupid, or deluded."

My mother shot him a warning look and shrugging he walked to the door,

"I'm going out to radio Nan and see if she's contacted our back up, we're going to need them if he comes for her."

Once we were alone my mother sighed and tried to take my hands as she gazed into my face but I pulled away once more and with a sigh she began to speak again only this time what she told me was so far from the truth as I knew it that I burst out laughing almost as loudly as Richard had done.

"Where did you get that from? Do you really believe what you are saying? It sounds like a fairytale and I can tell you Jasper is no crazed killer. We have been alone together all this time and he has never hurt me or even made me feel nervous."

I wanted to say that he would never hurt me, that he loved me but I decided that probably wasn't a wise move and stopped myself just in time.

She went on and on but I couldn't believe her, I knew the Cullens and I knew Jasper, someone was making this up, maybe as an excuse to kill him and feel good about it but if I could I would get free and warn him somehow. if it came down to a choice between my mother and Jasper she didn't stand a chance.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty Two.**

 **Carlisle**

As far as everyone was concerned the family had left Forks and Edward and I spent our time in the basement of the house which was equipped with everything we needed to stay out of sight for some time. There was even blood stored in the freezer from our hunting trips. Once we had drunk our fill when we hunted we would collect any remaining blood and bring it back home to freeze. It tasted terrible when compared to fresh blood but it would stop us going crazy with thirst, a sensation I knew only too well from my own newborn days. Thirst turned man into a senseless savage who would be forced to attack without thought eventually. I had been lucky that I was able to hold myself in check until I found an alternative to human blood and never having tasted it I was lucky not to have the intense craving every vampire who had tasted it felt.

The Quileutes knew we were here, I had explained the situation to Quil Ateara. If Jasper really was what Felix had said then they were in as much danger as Edward and I. Perhaps I should have found somewhere else to hide out but that meant putting humans in danger and I would never do that. In the wilderness we would be at too much of a disadvantage, Jasper was a much better tracker than Edward or I not to mention his superior fighting skills. Here I knew my surroundings and the strengths and weaknesses of the building. I just hoped it wouldn't come to a fight, I did not want to face an experienced killer and even Edward's gift might not be enough to keep us alive.

It was the following day before I heard from Darius again and from the tone of his voice, he didn't have good news for me.

"Carlisle, I don't know how I missed this, I've spent decades snooping in the Volturi archives but somehow I missed it. Felix was telling you the truth, you are being tracked by a killing machine and I can't see a way to keep you safe. From what I've found out The Major, or whatever his real identity, is relentless. He'll follow you to the ends of the earth and nothing will stop him fulfilling his orders. I'm trying to track him but it's not easy."

"So he is the Volturi executioner then? What about Bella? He has orders to kill her and she was with him."

"That's the only bit of good news for you. The Vantanori got to her first and now they are running too which makes me think that maybe they know everything we do."

"So she's safe for now? Well, that's something but surely they stand no better chance against him when he finds them than we do?"

"He's already decimated their number and he didn't stop to clean up either, I don't think it was a pretty sight."

"I guess he didn't need to out there in the wilderness, where is he headed now?"

There was a short pause,

"Sorry to have to tell you but he'll be on your doorstep by morning unless he changes direction so you should move now. I can arrange transport for you but you have to go now."

"No, while he's concentrating on us he's leaving Bella alone which gives the hunters a chance to get her unto hiding. She's the innocent in all this, we'll take our chances. If we run what then? Do you suggest we keep running for eternity? You said yourself he won't give up."

"You know something Carlisle, I never understood your empathy for humans but I respected it. Now, I think you are sacrificing yourself and Edward to no useful purpose. He will kill you and Edward then find Bella and kill her too, you can't stop him, as far as I can see no one can."

"I still have to try Darius but thank you for everything you have done for us. Please watch over Esme and the others, they should be safe but I'd feel better knowing someone is watching out for them."

"Of course, that goes without saying, but what about Edward? Don't you think he should be free to make his own choice in the matter?"

Darius was right of course and I called Edward back down from his room where he had gone to fetch some of his CDs. I didn't need to explain the situation he read it in my thoughts as he entered the room and nodded, His voice was clear and steady as he spoke to Darius,

"I'm staying, it's my fault Bella is in danger and if I can keep Jazz busy long enough for the hunters to get her to safety then that's all I can hope to do for her."

I knew Darius thought we were crazy but he accepted our decisions and promised to call if he learned anything new.

"That was a brave choice, Edward."

"It's what you would have done, in fact, what you are doing. I'm responsible for what's happened to Bella and I know I couldn't beat Jasper in a fight even if he wasn't this supposed super warrior so I'm doing the only thing I can, slowing him down and praying for a miracle."

I hadn't expected to hear back from Darius again so quickly but an hour later he was on the phone again.

"Expect help within the next couple of hours, I've called in a few favors for you."

"What?"

"You have more friends than you realize Carlisle and once they learned you were in trouble they were only too eager to help. Garrett, Alistair, Star, Toby, and Grace are en route."

"Do they know the danger they will be putting themselves in?"

"Yeah, and they're still coming. Maybe you'll get lucky, he may be good but is he good enough to take on a determined army?"

I was grateful although I felt guilty at the thought of putting so many of my friends in such danger.

Just as Darius had promised my friends turned up in the next couple of hours looking grave but determined to help. He had explained the situation and although they found the story of the ultimate warrior a little hard to swallow they were aware how fierce and skillful a fighter The Major was. I knew they weren't doing this for Bella, a human meant nothing to them, they were putting their own lives on the line for me and for Edward.

They joined us in the basement and there we discussed what I had been told by Darius.

"I heard something of that story many years ago but everyone thought it was just a legend, a rumor circulated by the Volturi to frighten their enemies."

"And you? What did you think?"

Star smiled but I noticed it didn't reach her eyes,

"I saw him once, at a distance, when I was in Volterra, he was leaving on a mission. It was sometime in the early 16th century, I can't really be more precise so much time has passed since then and I was more interested in trying to gain an audience with the brothers. My travelling companion had been taken for trial, he had allowed a human to escape after witnessing him feed on another. At the time the humans were becoming more aware of supernatural beings and had been gathering an army to hunt them down. There was already a witch hunt under way and several vampires were finding it difficult to stay under the radar. I think Aro was scared that if he allowed this to go on the humans might discover our kind were real and living among them."

"But you didn't see him close up? You wouldn't recognize him again?"

She shook her head,

"It wouldn't matter, they say he has changed over the centuries although no one knows anything for sure, at least until now. It was all rumor and superstition."

Garrett spoke up, interested more in specifics.

"Do you believe he's unstoppable?"

She shrugged in answer to his question,

"I don't know, I guess nothing is unstoppable except perhaps nature but whether we can stop him is another question entirely. I am prepared to try for Carlisle's sake. You're a good man Carlisle, even if you are a little crazy and I think the world will be a far less interesting place without you."

I smiled at her compliment,

"I just want to thank you all but I should tell you I don't believe Jasper is a stone cold killer, or if he is then it's not his doing and I'd like to try capturing him, we may be able to help him escape this terrible fate."

They looked at each other eyebrows raised in despair at my idea but no one decided it was their cue to leave, they would help me if they could but I understood not one of them would hold back if an opportunity presented itself to kill him.

We were not expecting any more company and it came as something of a shock when Peter and Charlotte Whitlock arrived unannounced. They were Jasper's closest friends and I didn't believe for one second they had come to help us fight him.

"Peter, Charlotte, this is something of a surprise."

"Yeah, I'll bet. Strange how no one tried to contact us when The Major is in trouble. From what I hear you're getting together a lynch mob."

I shook my head,

"Not a lynch mob Peter, we are merely trying to stay alive. What exactly have you heard?"

"Not a lot, most of it I felt and Garrett was pretty tight lipped when I contacted him. I can see you lurking there in the shadows, get here and face me like a man."

Peter sounded furious and Charlotte put a hand on his arm to calm him and addressed me,

"Maybe you can tell us exactly what is going on Carlisle."

I did so as succinctly as I was able but I could see Peter wasn't willing to believe a word of it. He scowled as I finished but it was Charlotte who tried to reason with him,

"Peter, listen to me. You think we know The Major but we only know what he's told us and I remember you telling me that he was pretty vague about his past. Maybe this is true, why would Aro warn Carlisle otherwise? Why make up such a crazy story? He has nothing to gain by it and from what I've heard The Major doesn't know the truth either. In fact, until he was activated he was the guy we knew and loved. The question is can we stop him? Is there any way to stop him once he has been given his orders?"

She looked around at the solemn faces of the small group hoping I think for a positive answer to her question but no one spoke. The silence stretched out and then Star stepped forward looking resigned,

"I understand your friendship with the man you call The Major and I sympathize but as far as I know there is no way to deactivate him once he has his orders and no one has stood against him and lived according to the stories I have heard. The only way to stop the slaughter is to kill him."

Seeing Charlotte's shock and Peter's rising fury I stepped in,

"Actually that's not strictly true Star. The Volturi use Alec to stop him although from what Darius told me the end result is the death of the present Jasper. I have no idea what he will become but he does rise from the ashes eventually in some form."

"True Carlisle, but they only step in once he has finished his task and we do not have a gift like Alec that we can use."

Star was right of course.

"But there must be a way, we just need to find it."

Peter sounded desperate,

"I don't think we have time to hunt around for another gift like Alec, Peter. Darius said Jasper is on his way, he'll be here by morning and when he gets here his only concern will be killing Edward and myself."

I knew Peter hated to hear this but it was the plain truth, it was Jasper... or us.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty Three**

 **Renee**

I had known meeting my daughter again for the first time since I left her as a small infant would be difficult but I had hoped that maybe she would recognize me and I might see a spark of something, not love maybe, but at least tenderness in her eyes. Instead, all I saw when she looked at me was hatred and contempt. What had Charlie told her? Did she ever wonder why I had left her? And once she knew the truth would it soften her attitude towards me?

It appeared not, she refused to believe what I was telling her, preferring to trust the vampire over her own mother. She would fight me all the way and I felt sad and not a little hurt at her attitude although common sense should have warned me it was going to be difficult. Not that it made any difference to the outcome, she would stay here with me and I would find a way to destroy this most dangerous of vampires.

Richard, poor man, didn't know quite what to say or do against her scorn so he made himself scarce, besides he did have work to do. We had to stay one step ahead of the vampire for now, or die. Why he had turned away from me when he could so easily have killed me I struggled to understand. My gift had failed to have the desired effect, he seemed to shrug it off, but something had caused him to turn and run leaving me alive. Perhaps I just wasn't on his hit list but then from what Nan had said he would go through anyone who stood in his way... so why not me?

I sighed and returned to the battle before me.

"You seem determined to ignore everything I have told you, Isabella. What would you have done in my place?"

Her mouth twisted in a bitter smile,

"Mmm, let me think about that."

She pantomimed pondering on the topic then, eyes opening wide in mock surprise she spoke again,

"I know, how about staying and being a mother to the baby you gave birth to, staying with the man you professed undying love too...that would have done... for starters."

She was right of course, as far as she saw it, I knew I would struggle to find an argument she would accept but it didn't stop me trying.

"And you are right in a way but I couldn't, I had a duty, I couldn't stay Isabella, but I did attempt to keep you safe, both of you. This vampire has you all confused, he's spun a web of deceit around you and drawn you in. I'm not your enemy he is. Its what they do you know, how they operate, and I'm hoping his influence will drain away soon so you can see clearly."

"Yeah? Well, don't bank on it and my name is Bella, just plain old Bella."

I ignored that, we had named her Isabella and she would always be Isabella to me.

"You're tired Isabella, why don't you take a shower and sleep for a while, things will hopefully be clearer afterward. I'll watch over you and Richard is just outside."

She threw her take out carton on the table and without speaking stalked across to the bathroom shutting the door firmly behind her. I sighed admitting temporary defeat and joined Richard outside where I could watch the door, he had already checked the window in the bathroom which was tiny denying Isabella an escape route through it.

 **Bella**

If my mother thought she could hold me prisoner she was very much mistaken, I had to break out and find Jasper. Not because I disbelieved her so much as because I needed to see him and know he was safe. I knew with certainty that he would never hurt me and if, God forbid, there was something to her story then maybe I could stop him, he would listen to me because he loved me. If what my mother said was true then I was probably the only person he would listen to now.

I climbed onto the rim of the tub and balanced there precariously so I could peer out of the window. It showed me a dark alley between rooms illuminated only dimly by an ice machine at its far end. The window was small but I was prepared to try squeezing through when I heard voices, my mother's and her companion Richard's.

"We're safe enough, for now, he's headed for Forks and Nan thinks he's decided to go after the Cullens first."

"Well, I guess that makes sense Richard, they have broken the law by introducing Isabella to their world so the Volturi will want them dead and it does give us a breathing space. Even better he'll be doing us a favour if he kills some of his own kind, save us a job. Did you tell Nan about the others?"

"Yes, she was terribly upset but she'll keep digging, maybe she can find a way to stop him as your gift doesn't appear to have much effect. Once he's finished in Forks that is."

"I'd guess he's been given several targets, I mean why waste his savagery when he can be sent after the Cullens and maybe other targets too Richard. My main concern is Isabella, I will not allow him to touch her again whatever sacrifice it takes to keep her alive."

I slid back onto the toilet seat thinking hard, Jasper was going after the Cullens? But they hadn't told me their secret, Ezra had, surely the Volturi knew that? This made it even more imperative that I escape and get back to Jasper.

Turning on the shower to hide any noise I might make I pushed the window open as far as it would go and stuck my head out trying to pull my shoulders in so they would slip through but it was just too small and I could feel the skin tear as I pushed against the frame harder and harder. This wasn't going to work and as I understood that I could feel panic welling up in me. How was I going to get away from my captors now?

I heard the door of the room open and realised my mother had come back in so I dropped down to the floor pulling my shirt straight and rubbing the sore spots at the top of my arms then took a deep breath and marched back into the room not bothering to turn the shower off. She looked at me startled at first then smiled maddeningly,

"I see you tried the window, I'm not stupid Isabella, I checked it when we arrived, now why don't you rest a while, we won't be moving for a few hours."

"I'm not tired."

"Then tell me about yourself, how you are doing at school, what you like and dislike, your dreams for the future."

I stared at her in amazement, did she really think I wanted a cozy chat with her?

"I have to go."

She shook her head,

"Not an option I'm afraid and I will use my gift on you again if you force my hand so please don't."

I felt anger building inside me and clenched my fists,

"Get out of my way."

She shook her head and I glanced at the door hoping Richard wouldn't hear us and come in.

"No. You really don't get it do you, Isabella?"

I moved forward and she stepped into my path staring into my eyes but I wasn't going to stop and continued forward. There was a short struggle and then, as my anger continued to grow, something very strange happened. I saw red and heard a scream as she was thrown against the wall to my side. Furniture followed until it pinned her in place and then I wrenched open the door only to find Richard standing in my way.

"What's going on? Where's Renee?"

I stretched out my hands and he too flew to one side crashing against the side of the truck with enough force to distort the door.

"Stay out of my way, I'm warning you."

I felt my hair whip around my face although the night was still, without a puff of wind but I had to act fast, I didn't have time to worry about such things now. I needed the truck to get to Forks as quickly as I could although I realised I had no idea where I was or which direction to head. With a flick of my wrist Richard's body jerked to one side and he slid across the parking lot as I got into the truck relieved to see the keys in the ignition but just as useful was the Sat Nav in its cradle on the dashboard.

I had to find Jasper before it was too late or attempt to live with the guilt. It was my fault all this had happened and any deaths would be laid at my feet. I could hardly credit what my mother had told me but something in the way she said it convinced me. The truck was gassed up and tapping in present location in the Sat Nav I found to my relief we were close to the border. Somehow while I had been asleep, maybe in the grip of my mothers gift again they had transported me out of Alaska and almost to the US Canadian border. If I could only get back to Forks before Jasper arrived maybe I could persuade him to spare Carlisle and Edward.

I had no papers and no money so crossing the border legally was out of the question but then I remembered something my dad had told me about a year ago. He had followed some illegal hunters who were also smuggling drugs across the border and found a trail until then unknown to him that allowed them free access to both countries. It was dangerous, crossing the Olympic range, but they had managed it and I knew I had to try, it was my only chance to stop this before someone else got killed. I dredged up as much as I could remember from that conversation with my dad and confident I could at least find the head of the trail I set off.

With luck my mother and her friend would take time to obtain replacement transport giving me a window of opportunity to find my way across the mountains. With a little more luck it was a rental and they would have to explain it's loss to the company first. As I drove I thought about the recent shock I had received, the re-emergence of my mother and her insistence that she had abandoned my dad and I only to keep us safe. I didn't believe her for one second, she had decided being a wife and mother wasn't as exciting as hunting vampires that had been the real reason for her disappearance. My entire world had spun upside down and I wasn't sure what was real and what was too crazy to be real any more. Vampires did exist, Ezra had proved that much, and that they were dangerous or at least some of them were, but I also learned they could be kind and protective and that I was in love with one.

That my mother was a vampire hunter had also come as a shock and I wondered what my dad would say if he ever found out the truth. Like, me he would be sceptical, after all he didn't know the truth about Forks and all its bizarre inhabitants, a vampire doctor, his native American friends who turned into wolves and killed vampires, and of course his ex wife, Buffy the Vampire Slayer!

The more I thought about her the more bitter I became, how dare she just appear in my life and tell me what to do? She had given up any control over my life when she slunk away almost seventeen years before. The laughable thing was that she had expected me to be pleased to see her, to listen to her without questioning anything she said, and do as she told me. Well, news flash Renee Swan or whatever you called yourself these days, I trusted Jasper Hale and Carlisle Cullen a hell of a lot more than i trusted you.

There was the strange things that happened back at the motel to consider too. How had I managed to move that furniture and send Richard flying across the parking lot? Was I gifted too, like Renee? I wondered what she thought of her daughter right now. I had no idea if I could make things happen again but I didn't have time to experiment and I had to keep my mind on the journey ahead or risk getting lost in the mountains.

I was relieved when I found the start of the illicit track hidden off a hiking trail and putting the truck in a low gear I started up the narrow mud coated trail where branches closed in behind me after scraping their way along the sides. I smiled, if this was a rental car my dear mother would have one hell of an excess to pay! When darkness fell I switched on the lights thankful for the extra hunting spots on the roof of the cab. Once or twice the truck appeared to be getting bogged in but with a little manoeuvring I managed to keep going cursing as it began to rain heavily dropping visibility to almost zero.

If not for my fear of what Jasper might be doing only too soon I would have given up, I was tired, thirsty, and I ached all over from the bumping of the uneven track but as it was I forced myself onwards with my last reserves of strength, keeping the truck going forward, and finally I crossed the mountains and headed down towards Forks and Jasper.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty Four**

 **Jasper**

I ran until I was a long way from the woman who had such a strange effect on me, I had known she was a target but somehow I couldn't attack. I felt I recognized her although I knew I had never seen her before. Deciding it didn't matter for now, I concentrated on finding my other targets. The Cullens could be in the wind but I doubted it. I knew the family although that made no difference now, they were to die, that's all I was interested in. If they knew I was hunting them they wouldn't draw me close to those they loved, they would make a stand somewhere they felt confident which meant Forks. I knew the house, knew of the basement and its defenses, but that wouldn't prevent me from carrying out my task.

Somehow although I knew all about the family, remembered I knew them well it didn't matter, nothing mattered any longer except the rage in my head which would only be relieved by their deaths. If I didn't find my quarry I knew the pressure would continue to mount until it was unbearable and then I would be unable to think, to function, and I wasn't ready for that. I had a reason to continue and I saw her face in my mind but as I did so I heard the words of my master and understood she too was marked to die at my hands. I had no choice but to obey yet somehow the very thought of it gave me pain. I needed to rid myself of this encumbrance and by killing the Cullens I could do that, I knew with each death my more troubling side would give way to the stronger more powerful one and I would be free once more to wreak destruction for those I served.

On the way to Forks I stopped to hunt snatching a man out hiking before he was even aware of my presence. His blood tasted good but it was his fear and pain that really fed me, that gave me strength and power, and by the time I hit the outskirts of the town I was ready to destroy. I understood this was Quileute territory but I didn't care, let them come, I would destroy them just as I had dealt with the hunters... That woman's face flashed before me again and I pushed it away angrily, she was unimportant and I would not allow her to distract me.

The rank smell of the wolves was all around me in the forest, clinging to every tree and bush, making me feel sick yet fuelling my rage too. I longed to see one of them, no more than one, bring on the whole pack. I would tear them limb from limb and wallow in their bloody entrails. This was what I had been born for, to fight, to kill, and to revel in it. Memories of long ago battles flashed through my brain, fighting side by side with my brother warriors and celebrating our victories. Faces followed one after the other, all staring in horror through death dulled eyes and I could name them all, I remembered each and every kill, their crimes, their manner of death, and gloried in each remembrance.

Suddenly I halted, I had heard something in the undergrowth up ahead, an animal, a wolf by its scent but then relaxed, this was a true canine not one of those freaks who called themselves guardians. What could they protect? They were slower, weaker than me, and far less determined. Let them come, I would soon show them.

Sensing I was close to the house I pulled up once more and stood listening, testing the air for telltale scents. There was a weak odor of wolf but it was old while other scents, recognizable ones were much stronger and I realized that Cullen was here just as I had thought but he was not alone. I smiled, it appeared he had assembled a small army to protect him. Did he really think they were a match for me? Certainly, he had the pick of the fighters, Garrett, Alistair, and Star, along with others who were less skilled and then it hit me, there were two more scents, the Whitlocks! So, Peter and Charlotte were here too? I smiled, Peter had always fancied his chances against me and now he would see that he was no match for The Major at all. They had all thought they were my friends but I had none. Friends were a weakness and that was dangerous but I would use what I had learned of these people to overcome them one by one.

Watching from a vantage point in the trees I could see they were not patrolling the area, a good thing unless they wanted me to decimate their numbers before closing in on my goal. It meant they were all inside the house waiting nervously for me to arrive. Well, I hated to keep people waiting so I jumped down and moved silently towards the rear of the house. I was almost there when I heard a car at the bend in the drive and then approach the front of the house, so Carlisle had visitors, a bad move on their part, they were in the way and I would kill them for sport, call it an appetiser before the main meal.

I moved to the corner of the building as the car drew up and peered around it to see who was about to die. Two deputies sat in a cruiser talking and I listened in on their conversation.

"This is a waste of time, why would Bella turn up here? I feel sorry for the Chief, he's clutching at straws, she has to be dead."

"The Chief isn't going to accept that until he actually sees her body and what harm does it do to check out the Cullen place? Stay in the car, I'll check the front door then we can radio in and get lunch."

So the Chief was still looking for his daughter, still hopeful, well he would never have her back, instead her cold lifeless body would lie in an unmarked grave. That thought hit me like a train, Bella dead? I tried to shake off the dread that paralysed me, I had my orders and I had never before questioned them but this time something was different, she was different. I shook my head hoping to clear the thoughts of Bella from my mind and concentrated on those before me.

I checked the human in the car, he was occupied with his phone and didn't see me follow his colleague around the side of the house to the back door. Once out of sight I pounced, I didn't have the time or the patience to wait for this human to finish his check, instead I grabbed him by the throat, a hand clamped across his mouth to prevent any cry of alarm and sank my teeth into the soft flesh feeling the warm salty blood flood my mouth.

When I had finished feeding on him I carried his limp lifeless body into the forest and left it at the top of a tree, I would dispose of it once I had finished my task. As I approached the cruiser the remaining cop looked up and recognising me smiled in recognition and got out ready to talk. I smiled back putting him at ease and when he was close enough I pounced snapping his neck and depositing him with his friend. Maybe I would drain him when I finished with Carlisle and his friends, an after battle celebratory drink.

Approaching the house once more I sensed I was not alone but this time it was not humans or animals but Quileute wolves, convenient as they were also on my target list. I could smell only two, obviously a scouting party, did they know the Cullens and friends were still here? These were young, new wolves and therefore inexperienced, they wouldn't be much of a challenge for me. I stayed in the shadows close to the edge of the driveway knowing they wouldn't stray onto Cullen land and waited, my patience being rewarded when a few minutes later I heard the pad of their paws on the leaf strewn ground.

They had just come into sight when I heard a vehicle approaching fast and the two split up going each side of the road. The one closest to me stopped suddenly having caught my scent but before he could warn his companion I had him in my grasp squeezing his ribs and listening as they cracked one by one. The approaching vehicle came closer and I heaved the wolf's body into the road making the driver swerve violently as they tried to avoid hitting it.

I only had a glimpse of the driver but it was enough to stop me in my tracks. The sight of Bella's horrified face shocked me out of my immobility and as the truck slammed into a tree with a terrific crunch and a cloud of steam from the cracked radiator I ran to it tearing the door off and pulling her unconscious body free. I could smell fresh blood, gas, and hot metal all mixed together and as I ran into the forest with my burden there was a whoosh as the gas was ignited by sparks from a broken H.T cable. If Bella had still been inside she would have been incinerated but she was safe in my arms and I kept running hoping that she was not fatally injured by my actions.

Once at a safe distance I stopped and lay her gently on the ground kneeling beside her to check on her injuries. Wiping her bloody face with my shirt I could see a nasty gash on her forehead but checking her over was relieved to find she had broken no bones. The truck had hit the tree on the front passenger side and although she would be bruised and battered, the bruising on her face and chest were caused by the air bag, she would live. Her heart beat was strong and her breathing regular if a little heavy, probably caused by shock. She should be looked over by a doctor but I couldn't risk that, I knew enough to nurse her and my orders? Well, they could wait, for now this was far more important.

Only then did it hit me that one of my orders was to kill Bella Swan yet I had rescued her from certain death and couldn't explain why. All I knew was that I could not let her die whatever my masters said. I needed to find somewhere safe to hide her, somewhere she could heal, and only then could I decide how to continue with my mission.

I carried on up into the mountains holding her close and distracted as I was it was several minutes before I sensed I was being pursued by the other wolf. He had picked up my trail and was following, probably hoping the rest of the pack would join him before I sensed his presence or would he continue alone and attack hoping to overpower me while I was hampered with Bella's unconscious body? The answer came almost immediately as he raced forward and pounced on my back, his fangs fastening into my neck and his claws raking deep furrows in my back.

I tossed Bella onto a small bush to break her fall and the fight was joined. We fell to the ground twisting and scrabbling for a firm hold as I wrenched away from the wolf's teeth leaving a huge chunk of flesh for him to spit out snarling angrily. He may be a novice but he knew how to fight and if he had just waited a little longer for his brothers to join him he might have lived, just might. As it was I had the experience and the strength and soon he lay, a naked boy, dead on the ground at my feet his back and neck broken. I hadn't bitten him purposely and picking up the limp body I drew on its shorts which were fastened to the left ankle with elastic and threw it over the edge of a deep crevasse watching as it tumbled down hitting outcroppings of rock as it did so. If, and when, his body was found it would appear he had died as a result of injuries sustained during a fall just as the other would appear to have been killed by a hit and run driver, I was careful, just as the Volturi expected.

Picking Bella up once more I continued my climb to the summit and then down the other side into Canada and a hunting lodge I used on occasion to get away from the emotions of the family that could become overpowering. The wolves wouldn't cross the border, it would take them too far from home and the people they were created to protect so we would be safe, for now.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty Five**

 **Carlisle**

Peter was becoming become more and more agitated which we all knew was a sign that his erstwhile friend was getting close. I think we all knew that despite being vastly outnumbered Jasper would make a fight of it and I doubted we would all survive the encounter, especially as it seemed Darius had been correct in his theory of Jaspers past.

"I'm going outside, it's too fucking claustrophobic in here."

All eyes turned to Peter and he grinned mirthlessly.

"Don't sweat, I'll be back but I can't stay hidden in this fucking rat hole any longer."

"How close is he Peter?"

Bright red eyes filled with pain and apprehension turned on me,

"Close Carlisle but we have a little while yet. I never thought I'd hear you eager for a fight, not really your style is it?"

I knew he was torn between what he thought he knew of his friend and the truth. He had been Jasper's closest friend and comrade in many a battle and yet here he was standing undecided but on the opposite side for now, although I didn't trust that he would remain so. Would their long term friendship handicap Peter? If it did he was likely to find himself dead at the hands of the man he had trusted his life to so often in the past.

Garrett went with him, another who was waiting nervously, again a brilliant fighter but also one whose very skills gave him the knowledge that Jasper was probably tougher and more ruthless. Perhaps none of us would live to see another day but we would fight for our lives and those of others on his target list even though we had no idea how many that might be. Aro had told me that the rest of my family were safe but could I believe him? After all, by his own admission he was not in control of this operation so could not guarantee anything.

 **Peter**

The Major was close and getting closer with every second and I couldn't sit and wait for the conflict to come to me, it wasn't in my nature. My mind ached from constantly running through everything I knew, or thought I knew, about my friend, trying to work out if he really was the Volturi's ultimate executioner. I wanted to believe it was a lie but something told me I would be wrong to dismiss it just like that. There had always been questions he couldn't answer, skills he seemed to have honed over millennia not just a few decades. He never needed to think about an operation, he seemed to understand instinctively what was needed and that could only have come from fighting wars and battles for a long time although I had accepted it as an enviable talent at the time. If anyone was going to take The Major down I wanted it to be me and I knew in reality that I was the only one with a realistic chance of doing so. Carlisle, Edward, and the others had no real warrior skills only Garrett, Charlotte, or I were equipped with those and therefore stood any chance against him. I hated the thought that my friend was, in reality, a puppet whose strings were pulled by the Volturi and I knew he would have hated it too if he'd known.

Garrett and I paced up and down outside the house, alert for any strange sounds, anything that might warn us of his arrival but for now all was peaceful.

"Never thought I'd see the day I was looking across a battlefield at The Major, how about you Peter?"

I shook my head,

"Just one more reason to hate the Volturi, fucking bastards!"

"Yeah, makes my skin crawl, just like Chelsea's gift, make you happy to be a lap dog."

I opened my mouth to answer him then shut it again as I heard a car pull into the driveway and sounds from the forest.

"Looks like our wait might be over my friend."

We melted into the shadows on the porch and watched to see who would get here first.

I tensed as I felt danger coming from our rear and pulled Garrett inside the house where we watched from the corner of the window as a police cruiser pulled up in front of the house, one of the cops getting out to check the Cullens hadn't returned. Boy, would he be in for a surprise if he tried the door! The other was occupied in the car and didn't see the blitz attack The Major launched out of the shadows and we hadn't even known he was already here.

As he took off into the trees with his first victim I gestured for Garrett to go down and warn the others if they weren't already aware The Major was here then turned back to see the other cop also fall to my friend's attack and vanish down the drive into the trees.

I could just hear the others as they appeared from the basement but then something had me on alert, there were others close by, more danger, so I gestured for them to stay put and slid out through the door running down the edge of the driveway until I was almost at the road. I could smell wolves and these were the kind that liked to chow down on vampires. As I tensed ready to fight I saw The Major again coming from the side and marveled at his speed and lethal attack.

A truck came hurtling round the bend and lost control as he threw the lifeless body of one wolf into its path. The truck smashed into a tree and I expected The Major to continue his attack, follow the other wolf who had raced into the trees but what he did shocked me. Ignoring the wolf he raced to the truck and pulled the driver free checking the body over frantically then picked it up and ran away from the house. What the fuck was this all about? I hesitated only a moment, the others back at the house were safe enough for now and I would contact them when I could, for now, I needed to know where The Major was headed and why he had left. If as we thought he was under orders to kill certain targets and wouldn't stop until he'd fulfilled his mission then why had he given up on the Cullens when he had them holed up so conveniently?

I was very careful not to get too close if he sensed me there would be a fight and I was intrigued. I knew somehow that the human he had saved meant something special to him and when I saw the long dark hair and bloodied face I suddenly understood. The only reason any vampire would save a human was the mating pull. This girl, someone he recognized, was his mate and he had almost killed her. This changed everything, if he had been the mindless killer he was supposed to be he wouldn't have been able to recognize her, his mind would be programmed to fulfill his task and ignore anything else yet he had stopped, changed his mind, and chosen to take her to safety. If there was anything of The Major I had once known left in there then I could find a way of getting through to it, to make him understand what was happening to him and help him fight it.

 **Carlisle**

Garrett had no idea why Peter had left or where The Major had gone, only that he had been here and ready to kill. We found the two deputies, their bodies suspended in tall trees, one drained the other merely dead as if he might have been planning on returning to them but if so then something had changed his mind.

"Let's get these bodies down and hidden properly before the Chief comes looking for them, if he finds them we'll never be able to talk our way out of it."

Garrett and Alistair carried the bodies back down and put them in the back of Emmett's truck which was still in the garage.

"We'll take them to the mountains, dispose of the bodies there. You sort out the cruiser."

Moments later my phone rang and it was Alistair,

"Ah Carlisle, more trouble. There's a naked dead guy in the middle of the road. Looks like one of the wolves, you want us to clear him up too? There's been an accident, a truck smashed into a tree but there's no sign of the driver or any passengers, it smells like The Major's work."

I cursed, things were snowballing too rapidly, someone could come across the accident any moment.

"Could you make it appear the boy was killed by the truck? A hit and run maybe?"

"Sure, his injuries look pretty consistent we just need to put some clothes on him. I'm pretty sure the natives don't run around buck naked up here. Leave it with us but you'd better tidy up quick."

Star and Toby made sure there was no sign that the cruiser had ever been here once Edward and Grace drove it into the forest. They would take it apart and sink the parts in the creek. It wasn't the ideal solution but we had so little time it was the best we could do. I had to be here when the police came to the accident site or looking for their missing cruiser and I wondered how long it would be before the Quileutes came calling. The young man Alistair had found killed on the road must have been on patrol but was he alone? Or did the pack already know what had happened? If so they would be coming in force probably when the sun went down and they wouldn't need to fear being seen by anyone. I needed an excuse to be back here too, after all, I'd told Bella's father we were leaving so why hadn't I gone with the others? Peter's whereabouts were a mystery too but I didn't have time to concern myself about that right now, I had enough on my plate as it was.

It was Chief Swan who came to the house with one of his deputies expressing surprise at seeing me still here although he seemed to be satisfied by my explanation of coming back to retrieve a few things that had been left behind.

"So, what do you know about the accident at the end of your drive Dr. Cullen?"

"Nothing. An accident? Do you need my help?"

"No, the driver ran from the scene after mowing down one of the Quileute boys."

"Oh dear, I take it from your expression that the young man is dead?"

"Yeah, he is and we're looking for the driver who must be injured, there's blood in the driver's side of the truck."

He looked around suspiciously,

"Have you seen a cruiser here today?"

"No, why?"

"They were supposed to do a drive by, check on the place. See if maybe my daughter had come back."

The way he said it told me we were not entirely free of his suspicion but I just shook my head.

"I'm so sorry, I hoped you might have good news by now. We haven't heard anything or I would have contacted you."

"Oh, I'm betting on it, Doctor. Mind if I have a look around as I'm already here?"

I stepped aside,

"Of course not, go ahead."

He didn't spend much time in the house but he was thorough, especially when it came to the outbuildings and the garage.

"New car?"

He nodded to Stars red compact with the tinted windows,

"No, it belongs to a friend, I borrowed it, Esme has my Mercedes."

He checked inside and opened the trunk which wasn't locked and finding nothing had to be satisfied.

"So, are you planning on being here long Doctor?"

"No, I'll be leaving in about an hour."

He nodded his approval and returned to his car still looking around and drove slowly back down the drive. We would have to leave soon whether Jasper was close by or not.

The others were back within the hour having everything cleared up and we left the house. I thanked them for their help but told them something had changed and they shouldn't put themselves in any further danger.

"Peter rang me and said Jasper was the one who caused the crash and he's no longer hunting us. He refused to explain further but said he would let me know if I became a subject of Jasper's interest once more so there's nothing you can do."

Charlotte and Garrett opted to stay with Edward and myself while the others went back home and I was sure in most cases they were only too relieved to be doing so. The very fact they had come to my aid told volumes, these were indeed friends, willing to risk all to help another in his hour of need.

I knew Charlotte was concerned both for Jasper and her mate but she trusted Peter's ability to keep himself safe and knew he wouldn't have gone off alone without a very good reason. When I told her I felt the same way she stared at me,

"Has Edward been wandering through my brain Carlisle?"

"No, he tries very hard to stay out of the thoughts of our friends but it's not difficult to understand how you must feel. Peter may be a loose cannon but he isn't suicidal."

"Really? And what makes you so sure, Carlisle? You hardly know us. Peter owes The Major everything, his very life and mine too. Trust me, if it came to sacrificing his life to save The Major's even I don't know which way he would jump so please, don't presume to know him. I'm only staying because if anything happens you will hear the quickest, not because I really care what happens to you or Edward. It was Peter's idea to come here in the first place and we only ever came because we hoped to be able to save our friend, even from himself."

Well, at least she was honest and we both wanted the same thing, safety for those we cared about even if they weren't necessarily the same people.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty Six**

 **Peter**

I had been poised to help The Major deal with the pursuing wolf but it wasn't necessary, he was all over it in seconds and as I watched I was reminded of our fighting days together in Maria's army. It didn't take long to realize that not only was it possible he was the Volturi's secret weapon it was also quite probable. Something had radically changed him since we were last together which was only a few months ago. Since leaving Maria he had been first troubled and depressed but then after joining the Cullens he finally appeared to have found a modicum of peace. I guess the placid Carlisle and his family were good for my friend, he was no longer bombarded by strong troubling emotions and as a result appeared more settled and content but now! Now things were very different.

After disposing of his adversary he went straight back to the girl and for a second I saw a look on his face I had never dreamed I would ever see, The Major had found his mate. Trust him to pick a vulnerable human who had become a target all due to the stupidity of Edward Cullen. I wondered if the mating pull would prove to be stronger than his drive to perform his duty, if not then they would both die, he had her on his list of targets but he would never survive the death of his mate. There seemed a chance, poor though it might be, that his mate might just keep him from falling into the pit of fury and violence the Volturi had pushed him to the very edge of.

Pulling further back to ensure he didn't sense me and attack I called Charlotte and explained the situation,

"Pass it on to Carlisle. I'm staying with The Major for now. I'm the only one who can keep up with him without being caught, my gift gives me that much of a chance at least."

"Do you really think this Bella can keep him from his dark side? I mean, it sounds as of he doesn't have much choice in the matter, its a part of his programming."

"It's the only hope we have Char and I'm hanging onto it with both fists. I'll keep you up to date but you could ask Carlisle to see if Darius can trace where the vampire hunters are and check what if anything the Volturi are doing. Right now I'm playing piggy in the fucking middle and it's a pretty uncomfortable place I can tell you."

Keeping just far enough back to be safe I followed The Major until he finally stopped at a small and isolated cabin just across the Canadian border. It was as good a place as any but he couldn't defend it against the hunters if they traced him, not if there were more than a few of them and I doubted they would go hunting their most dangerous prey with only a fucking hunting rifle and a compass!

It wasn't easy to find a safe vantage point and I was forced to be content with a copse of trees out of sight and earshot of the cabin. I wouldn't be able to watch him but my gift would let me know if he had visitors and that was my main concern, the rest was up to the unconscious human. For now, I would be forced to starve, leave him alone and possibly lose his trail for a while if he moved on, or take to the Cullen diet of Bambi blood, not a very appetizing thought.

Three hours went by and I whittled a throwing arrow to pass the time before Char got back to me.

"The Volturi aren't doing anything, I think they are leaving it up to The major to carry out his orders."

"Yeah, I guess they're probably scared if they get too close to their ticking time bomb it might just go off in their faces, poetic justice but I can't see that happening. What about the hunters?"

"No sign of them yet but he's still looking. I guess we can't be so lucky that they've given up can we?"

"Only if pigs started sprouting wings and polar bears dance on the beaches in Hawaii, Char."

"Stay safe Peter, I don't want to lose you. Maybe I should join you, especially if he still has that human girl with him. Why hasn't he killed her Peter? He had orders to do so and according to everything I've heard he obeys orders directly from his masters to the exclusion of everything else once activated."

"She's his mate, at least I think so and I guess that's interfering with his ability to follow orders but I doubt it will save anyone else and his conditioning may well overcome his ability to withstand it in time. I don't think anyone is safe right now. Tell Carlisle to get as far away from Forks as possible and lay low. Once that's done you join me, I miss you Char and if we're gonna get through to The Major then we're gonna need the girl on our side and you're the best qualified to talk to her if we can get close enough without getting our heads ripped off. You should have seen the way he dealt with that wolf like it was a puppy dog, it was fucking scary Char and I've seen The Major at his worst, or what I thought was his worse. This is a whole level beyond that."

Char agreed to talk to Carlisle and then join me but make doubly sure she was not followed by anyone. We had no idea who these hunters were, just that they existed, and having a foe you can't identify makes things twice as difficult and three times as dangerous. I was banking on Darius sniffing them out for me before I found them breathing down my neck.

 **Carlisle**

I won't say I wasn't relieved to get away from Forks and leave Jasper to his friends. Would Peter take him out if the opportunity arose and there was no alternative? I couldn't answer that, after all, Peter and Charlotte weren't on his kill list and therefore not in any immediate danger. Finding out that Bella had returned to Forks and was now back with Jasper had been something of a shock. If she had been taken by the vampire hunters why had she returned? She hadn't been going to her father, she had been coming here. There was a lot I didn't know and more I didn't understand but for now, I was glad to take Darius advice and run. This interruption in Jaspers hunt would give us more time to find a good hiding place and just maybe Aro would find a way of calling Jasper off, after all, he was still the leader of the Volturi even if he had been outmaneuvered on this occasion. Once safely away I would contact him, he should know the situation had changed, it might be of some help to him although I couldn't tell him why or what significance Bella held in Jasper's mind. If Peter was right and she was Jasper's mate then maybe it was her very presence holding back the madness but for how long?

"Ironic that I lost my girlfriend to my brother in the end. He'll kill her of course, she's not strong enough to hold him back for long. I'm just amazed that a human can get through his conditioning."

I nodded but Garrett didn't seem as surprised as I had expected,

"Edward, you have no idea how strong the mating pull can be. Every fiber of his being is screaming at him to keep her safe, care for and protect her. Imagine the conflict between that and his urge to fulfill his orders and kill her. I wouldn't lay money on which way he'll jump."

"Garrett's right Edward, Bella may just be our saving grace as far as Jasper is concerned but we have another more pressing problem I fear."

I pulled up fiercely as the road was blocked by a pack of Quileute wolves, six of them, the remainder I guessed. Edward clutched my arm in an attempt to hold me from getting out but Garrett merely shook his head staring at my son who slowly lowered his arm. I climbed out and walked up to face Sam who had phased back to human form to speak which was a good sign.

"We have two dead pack members, one is in the town morgue, where's the other?"

"I don't know, we were not responsible for their deaths Sam and I grieve for them. If I could have prevented what happened I would have. Jasper has left the area."

"But not alone, he still has Bella with him. Is he going to kill her too?"

I held out my hands,

"I don't know Sam, I wish I did but he has orders to kill me and Edward plus the hunters and anyone else who gets in his way and I can't guarantee he won't still follow those."

"I should kill you for bringing him here, for getting two of my pack killed and for putting Bella in danger and I would if I didn't have orders to allow you to go from our leader but let me warn you, Cullen, should you ever show your face around here again you will be killed, the treaty is void."

"I see, well. It's no more than I expected and I'm just glad we can leave in peace. I really didn't mean to put Bella in danger, none of us did and we would help her if we could."

"You've helped enough as it is. You have five minutes to leave Forks before I decide to ignore our orders and take you out, you and your friends right now."

I got slowly back into the car and drove away from Forks knowing that we would never be able to make our home there again, should we survive. Esme would be heartbroken, she loved the house and the town but there were other places and we had escaped barely, by the skin of our teeth, this time. I had never been in such a dangerous situation since building a life and a family for my mate but it just went to show that you could never let your guard down or take safety for granted. This time it had cost us a home and Bella if not her life then her future as a human with her father, an expensive lesson for us all but one I would not forget, ever.

"Friendly folk around here Carlisle, I can see why you'd want to live here."

I smiled at Garrett who was just trying to break the tense silence,

"Yes, it had its charms but at least we live to see another day and who knows, perhaps Bella will be able to reach Jasper."

"If she doesn't then I guess both their deaths will be my fault, Carlisle. I should have listened to you, kept my distance from Bella but I thought I could have a relationship with her and keep our secret too."

"The price of youthful arrogance Edward. You learned a valuable lesson, just remember it in the future."

Edward nodded solemnly at Garrett's words,

"Oh, I will, if I get the chance and Bella survives."

It was obvious that he meant every word, this mess had forced Edward to mature at last and take responsibility for the consequences of his actions or acknowledge them at least.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

 **Charlie**

Another smash up on the bend close to the Cullen house was nothing new, folks were always taking the deceptive curve far too damn fast and wrapping themselves around the trees that bordered the road, sometimes fatally, but thankfully they rarely took anyone else with them. Deb's tried to get in contact with the deputies on patrol but they didn't reply to their radios and Mr Webber who had notified me of the crash hadn't seen the cruiser although the deputies were supposed to be checking the Cullen place.

I roared up as the ambulance did and ran over to see the casualty of what appeared to be a hit and run. My blood ran cold as I recognized Seth Clearwater his broken body laying in a pool of congealing blood.

"Any hope?"

The paramedic who knelt beside him shook his head,

"No Chief, he's gone, neck's broken along with most of his ribs, that truck was traveling at some speed and threw him through the air."

I went over to inspect the remains of the truck which were now smoldering under a thick coating of foam. Two other deputies, Deb's had called in were taking photographs and measurements waiting for the wreckage to cool sufficiently to check inside. On seeing me one came over looking white with shock, it was always harder when you knew the victim personally and Harry's son played basketball with the deputies kids.

"I got the license plate, Deb's is checking it out now if it's not been reported stolen we might just have a name for our runaway driver."

"Is she checking local clinics and the hospital? Whoever it is they must be injured after a smash like that."

Deb's voice over the radio interrupted our conversation,

"Chief I have the registered owner's name and the truck has not been reported stolen."

There was something in the tone of her voice that made my stomach churn, was it someone we knew? I didn't recognize the vehicle but it could have been a recent purchase.

"The truck is registered to a Renata Stuart, I have a copy of her driver's license here and Chief..."

There was a nervous pause before she continued,

"If this isn't your ex-wife then it's her double."

For a moment I stared blankly into space, Renee? Back here in Forks? No, it wasn't possible, why would she come back here after all these years? But if it were her, surely if she hit a young man she would have made sure he was alive or dead and called it in, wouldn't she? I hesitated, not necessarily, that's what a normal woman would have done but then Renee was anything but normal. Still, I was jumping to conclusions, this Ms Stuart might just look similar to Renee, after all the name was different and it had been years since I saw her, Deb's too. She could have been mistaken... she must be.

An hour later, as I stood staring at the photo on the Renata Stuart driver's license shaking my head as I recognised the woman I had fallen in love with married and had a daughter with, my phone rang. It was Deb's with more bad news. The two deputies who had been checking on the Cullen house had simply vanished into thin air. I had sent out patrols to hunt around for the cruiser after failing to make radio contact but I had a bad feeling about this and wondered if it's disappearance was tied in with the hit and run... or was it just a coincidence? The trouble was I didn't believe in coincidences, not in my line of work, they gave me a bad feeling.

When Harry turned up white-faced with shock a little later, straight from the morgue, I was no closer to finding out who had been driving the truck or at least finding her if it was the owner.

"Sit down Harry. I am so sorry, Sue must be devastated, have you told Leah yet?"

"Sue's with her friends and Emily, they're trying to contact Leah but she's out. Have you found the driver yet?"

"No, no one has been admitted for treatment in a fifty-mile radius and the guys combing the forest and the grounds of the Cullen place haven't found anything except a few patches of blood on the ground."

"I hear Sam and the boys joined the search, Charlie."

"Yeah, Sam came to me an hour ago and they joined the volunteers and deputies. I haven't found my missing men yet either."

"yes, Sam told me there were two missing. Did you find anything at the Cullen place? Any sign of habitation?"

I shook my head knowing he would love to pin this on the Cullens.

"Carlisle was there but just picking up some stuff, he said he knew nothing and there was nothing to prove otherwise. I think the site of the accident was just a coincidence but I wanted to ask you something, Harry. You and Sue were close to Renee weren't you?"

He looked at me warily,

"We knew her pretty well but that was years ago."

"Well, I suspect something brought her back to Forks and I want to know what. Here, look at this."

I threw the copy of Renee's driver's license on the desk in front of him and he picked it up slowly staring at it without speaking.

I waited and eventually he placed it back on the desk,

"She's not here Charlie, she wasn't driving that truck."

My eyes narrowed in suspicion,

"And how would you know that Harry? You told me you hadn't seen or heard from Renee since she left."

"I haven't but Sue contacted her, told her about Bella's disappearance."

Now rage began to build in me,

"All these years you've kept in touch? You knew where Renee was and you said nothing? Why Harry? You knew how it nearly destroyed me, how Bella struggled knowing her mom just upped and left. Did you send her snapshots? Write long newsy letters about Bella, how she was doing, how proud her mom should be of her?"

"It's not like that Charlie when Renee left she told us she wanted a clean break and we accepted that. Neither Sue nor I spoke to her again until Bella vanished. We thought..."

He stopped as if unsure whether to continue and I growled at him,

"You thought what. Harry?"

"We thought she could possibly help given the circumstances."

"What circumstances? What aren't you telling me, Harry?"

MY oldest and dearest friend sat tight-lipped refusing to answer me and I grew cold and hostile.

"Now I know there's a mystery I'll make it my life's work to discover just what it is and if I find you are in any way implicated in anything unlawful I'll put you and your wife away for a very long time."

"Charlie, if we could tell you we would but there are things it is too dangerous for you to know."

"Crap!"

I could see that he was fighting an internal battle with himself, should he tell me these so called "dangerous" secrets or not?

I sat back giving him time to think then leaned forward and called for Debs to bring in a pot of coffee and two mugs. Harry looked at me for a moment then closed his eyes. We waited like this in silence until Debs had brought in the tray and shut the door on her retreating back then I poured two coffees and slid one across to my "friend".

"You know Harry, I was born here in Forks and I've lived here all my life but I don't really know Forks, not like you do, not like the tribe. I'm not stupid, I know there are things that go on under the surface, secrets, but up to now they never really touched me so I guess I just tried to ignore them, but that's over now. These secrets, the dangerous things, I'm going to find out what they are and if they are responsible for Bella's abduction, Renee leaving, and the weird goings on recently, then they'll cease being secrets because I'll shout them from the top of the Olympic range, take a fucking ad out in every paper between here and Seattle, see how you like that. Now, where's Bella? Who was driving that truck? And where is my ex wife?"

Harry drained his mug and stood up walking slowly to the window and peering out for a long time before speaking without turning around. I felt bad about pressuring him at such a time but he had answers that I needed and needed now.

"I can't tell you Charlie, they are not my secrets to keep or divulge as I desire but I will ask the other elders if it would be possible to tell you at least some of it. All I can tell you is that Renee had a good reason for leaving and that some secrets are best buried deep lest they destroy us."

He turned to look at me then,

"That's the best I can do Charlie, I'm sorry, and now I should leave, Sue and I have a funeral to arrange."

There was nothing I could say or do so I nodded and watched as he left my office looking suddenly very old with a bent back and sagging shoulders.

Renee's driver's license led to a dead end, the address was phony as was her social security number, just like before she had vanished as completely as she had appeared. Well, she may have vanished but I was sure she was close by, whether she had been driving the truck or not. Then it occurred to me that Harry wouldn't be so keen to keep her secrets if she had killed his only son and accepted that whoever had been behind the wheel of her truck, it had probably not been my ex-wife.

Just what was she tied up in? How did she know how to obtain false papers that could fool anything but a hard scrutiny? Why had she come back and what did it have to do with Bella's disappearance? Could Renee be responsible for everything? Could it be that she was running? Hiding from someone and that someone had come looking for her in Forks and kidnapped her daughter to exert pressure on her? Surely Renee wouldn't put her own daughter in danger? After all that was her excuse for leaving according to what she told me and what I heard from Harry. Would Harry indeed speak to the other elders and get back to me? Or would I need to gatecrash their next meeting to find out just what they knew? One way or another I intended getting answers to all my questions and ultimately getting my daughter back.

I was weary, I'd been up twenty-six hours and coffee was the only thing keeping me on my feet as it had been since Bella vanished. I decided I must be getting old and I was just thinking about going home for a shower and a couple of hours sleep when I received a call from Harry asking if I could attend a meeting on the reservation that evening. So, were they going to fill me in? I sure hoped so and with a final check on my missing deputies who were still in the wind along with their cruiser I went home asking Debs to ring me with any news however inconsequential she might think it to be.

When I pulled up outside Harry's place a few hours later I could see this was a meeting of the whole council plus some others. I didn't know Sam, Jake, Paul, and a few of the other older guys were members of the council but there they were and everyone looked grave and solemn in the flickering firelight as I joined them.

Quil Ateara nodded in welcome and invited me to take a seat and Sam and Jake moved up to make room for me on the end of a bench. As soon as I was seated Quil spoke up, his voice surprisingly forceful in the silence that had fallen with my arrival.

"You threatened to uncover secrets Chief, dangerous secrets if we refused to tell you what you wanted to know according to Harry."

"That's right Quil and I haven't changed my position since that conversation. I'll do whatever it takes."

"We didn't imagine for one second that you would which is why you are here."

"So, are you going to explain? Or is this just an attempt to shut me up because I'm telling you, in that case, you can save your breath."

"Chief, you and the tribe have had a good relationship over the years, we saw each other as friends and you trusted us just as we trusted you."

"Yeah well, it seems that trust was a touch one sided. I was a bit dumb but now I have my eyes open."

"There was and is a good excuse for that Chief Swan, the secrets we have kept from you were kept for a reason. Knowledge of them would put you in serious danger, life-threatening danger, and keeping such secrets is both dangerous and very difficult. There are things that you cannot imagine, dangers you cannot protect yourself from."

"Really? And you expect me to believe that my ex-wife knew all about these dangers and left to keep Bella and I safe? Bullshit Quil."

"Not bullshit Chief Swan, but the unvarnished truth. If you insist on knowing the truth we will tell you but you have then a responsibility to keep the secret and as a law officer I am not sure you will be able to."

"Does this truth of yours tell me what happened to Bella?"

"Yes, although knowing will not be enough to make a difference to the outcome. Do not be under any illusion that these secrets will give you a way to save her, it will not, she is beyond saving now. There was a time, a time when Harry, Sue and even Billy tried to warn both you and her but you both refused to hear them and as a result...well..."

"Well?"

I waited as they looked at each other as if still unwilling to go on but I knew they had gone too far now, I knew enough that they had to tell me the rest then there was a noise behind me and heads turned including mine when I heard an old familiar voice,

"It's OK Quil, I'll take over from here."

Looking directly at me, a face so familiar if a little older. My ex-wife, Renee stood there and my mouth dropped open.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

 **Charlie**

I watched dumbfounded as Renee walked up staring straight at me with those eyes that had once glowed with love for me and spoke quietly to Quil who glanced up at me with a troubled expression before nodding in reply. She then stretched out a hand to me,

"Come, Charlie, walk with me, we have much to discuss."

I got up but ignored her proffered hand and followed her out of the room conscious of all eyes on my retreating back. Once outside she halted waiting for me to catch up smiling a ghost of that old familiar smile I saw so often in my dreams.

"It's been a long time Charlie but you've hardly changed at all."

"Really? Well, I wouldn't know about you now would I? Seeing as I never really knew you in the first place. So, who are you? Renee Swan? Or Renata ******?"

"That's not important right now, our daughter's safety however is and we need your help."

"Might be useful if I knew exactly what was going on first and who this we really are."

She nodded and I saw the sadness in her eyes as she stopped to perch on the edge of a flat stone at the edge of the village. A vivid memory of Bella standing on the very same stone flashed into my mind and a stab of pain cut across my chest.

I refused to sit beside her feeling nothing but resentment and anger at the woman I had once loved and seeing my resolution she sighed,

"Still the same stubborn Charlie I see although I guess you have every right to be angry with me."

"I'm not angry with you, in fact, I feel nothing for you as an individual but I want answers Renee so start talking... now."

"You want to know everything Quil Ateara tells me and I guess it would be impossible to keep anything from you now although I wish things could be different."

"Where's Bella?"

"She's reasonably safe for now, I think, and not terribly far from here."

"How do you know that?"

"For two reasons, one, I had a tracker implanted in her as a baby and two because she was the one driving my truck although I hasten to add she was not responsible for Seth's death."

"Are you telling me that you've kept tabs on Bella all these years and she's been safe with you all this time while I've been worrying myself sick? What kind of a monster are you?"

Her smile faded altogether to be replaced with a hard cynical look,

"Actually Charlie, I'm a monster hunter and Bella was only with me briefly before she ran away. It's up to us to get her back before it's too late. The Quileutes have done all they can but their leader has ordered them to stand down, he's leaving it to us. I don't think he wants an all-out war with the Volturi and I can't say I blame him but then it's not his daughter under sentence of death is it?"

I was about to speak, a mountain of questions tumbling over each other to be first from my lips but she held up a hand.

"You want the truth, Charlie? You can have it, I just hope you can handle it, that's all."

I listened at first dumbfounded as Renee explained what my friends had hidden from me all these years. Of course, I'd heard the legends of the spirit warriors, who in Forks hadn't? But when she told me that these legends were true and the young Quileute men turned into wolves in order to hunt down their enemies, the Cold Ones I stopped her.

"What kind of tomfoolery is this? I thought you were going to tell me the truth yet you think I must still be a fool."

There was a rustling in the trees and suddenly four huge wolves appeared bathed in moonlight, much larger than any I had ever seen in these forests. I jumped to my feet pulling out my service revolver although it would be worst than useless against so many but Renee knocked it towards the earth,

"Watch if you don't believe me."

As I stood eyes wide open in shock the four wolves seemed to shimmer and then took on the forms of four young men I knew only too well, first Sam and then Paul, Jake, and Jared.

I struggled to regain my voice,

"OK, so there are stranger things than I understood and I'm shocked and not a little intimidated but if the spirit warriors are real and they exist for a reason then that means..."

I stopped unable to finish the thought but Renee merely nodded then turned to thank the guys who disappeared as silently as they had arrived.

"Yes Charlie, that means the Cold Ones also exist although you would know them better by another name...vampires. The creatures you were so friendly with and allowed our daughter to become involved with... the Cullens.

Bella was dating a vampire, one of the creatures I have spent most of my life hunting and tried so hard to protect you both from."

"Oh really? So you chose Forks as a safe place? One place where vampire killing creatures call home? Didn't it ever occur to you that such creatures might just draw their enemy to them?"

"No, because the only vampires who ever set foot in Forks are the Cullens and they are the least dangerous of all vampires. They hunt animals not humans but I never believed in my wildest dreams they might come back here while you and Bella lived."

"Are you telling me the Cullens abducted Bella? Why?"

An icy chill ran down my back and I felt sick to the pit of my stomach at the thought of my daughter in the hands of vampires.

"No, they didn't. From what I can make out she was attacked by another vampire visiting the Cullens and one of the family saved her life taking her away from Forks to ensure her safety."

"Then why didn't they bring her back? Or let her contact me?"

"Because knowledge of what they really are is a death sentence, Charlie. The vampire leaders would kill her just as they will kill you if they suspect you know of their existence. The trouble is that our daughter has fallen in love with this savior, she has no idea just how deadly he really is, she refused to believe me and escaped from my care."

"So you got her away from this Cullen vampire and she then got away from you and came back here to Forks to find him? But Edward was here, I saw him and Bella wasn't with him."

"Edward? What's he got to do with anything? Bella is with the one known as The Major although I think you might know him better as Jasper Hale."

I was still confused and decided to let Renee tell her story keeping any questions until the end although the more I heard the sicker I felt and the more concerned for my daughter out there all alone with a psychopathic killer.

I hoped Renee would end her story with a plan to get Bella back but it seemed she had lost most of her comrades to The Major and she'd already told me the Quileutes had been ordered to cease any action.

"I can't believe Harry will just let this monster go. You said he was responsible for Seth's murder."

"We can't be sure, there were a number of vampires here at the time Seth died but it's a pretty good guess. I think the others were trying to keep the Cullens safe."

"And this Volturi? They've sent orders for The Major to kill certain people including Bella and some of the Cullens?"

"As far as we know yes."

"So, how come Bella is still alive if he's a cold blooded killer with no compassion or qualms?"

"I can't answer that Charlie but something has kept her alive thus far so let's hope whatever it is, the magic keeps working."

"Magic be damned, let's go."

"Where Charlie? Do you have any idea how to fight a vampire? They're faster, stronger and this one is a killing machine."

"Well then Mrs. Expert, tell me, how do you kill a vampire?"

An unexpected deep voice answered me from the shadows,

"With one of these, if you get the time Chief Swan."

I was past being shocked now as a tall man carrying a cylinder slung over his shoulder, a tube connecting to a nozzle, walked up.

"Only way to be sure to kill one of the fuckers, burn their ass."

"A flamethrower? You're going to use one of those with Bella around? Are you mad?"

"No, just practical, we tried warning your daughter and she didn't want to listen. If she gets in my way..."

He didn't finish the sentence but I got the picture although I was glad to see Renee frown at his words.

We went back to my place to wait for their intelligence officer to get back to them with news and as Renee walked through the front door I was taken back just for a second to the first time when I had carried her in my arms as a bride over the very same threshold. I didn't bother even attempting to play the host just poured myself a beer and collapsed into my favorite armchair struggling to make sense of everything.

Renee came in with a mug of coffee and I could hear her companion speaking to someone on a satellite phone he'd carried in with him. She gazed around,

"You made it into a comfortable home Charlie."

"Mostly Bella's touches, I was busy working keeping the bills paid."

"Look, I'm not going to apologize, it would be a waste of time and energy. What's done is done, we need to concentrate on the present and the future, getting Bella back and killing The Major."

"So, where are they?"

Renee took out a small box and checked the screen,

"Just across the border and stationary but we need help if we are going to rescue Bella. He's scary Charlie, the scariest vampire I've ever come across."

"How many have you..."

"Killed? Personally about twenty-five, altogether we're responsible for about seventy in the past twenty years and yes, I was a vampire hunter before I came to Forks. I wanted what all girls want, the dream of a perfect family. It didn't work out and I got over it, so did you, end of story. I'm tired, can I use one of the bedrooms?"

I nodded, what was the point of being awkward now, she was right, we'd all gotten over it and needed to work together for now but I hoped she wouldn't choose Bella's room, that seemed somehow wrong.


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty Nine**

 **Bella**

I woke up with a terrific headache totally confused as to where I was and after a futile attempt to sit up just lay with my eyes closed until the spinning sensation eased enough that I thought I might just avoid throwing up. The last thing I remembered was driving along the road towards the Cullen house desperate to get there before something terrible occurred and then seeing a figure in the road just ahead of me. I had been going too fast and as I stomped on the brakes the truck swerved and skidded straight into a tree. There was a terrible crash and I felt as if I had been punched in the face as the air bag deployed. There was the smell of hot metal and the sound of breaking glass but then everything went black. I had no idea if I'd avoided the figure or not and could only pray I hadn't killed anyone with my reckless speed.

There was the feel of cold water on my face, cloth wiping my brow and I opened my eyes crying with relief when I recognized Jasper's beautiful face.

"Jasper? Thank God I found you."

I tried once more to sit up but gave it up as my stomach did another back flip.

"Hush lay back, you took a nasty blow to the face Bella. Lie still a while."

I did as he directed but refused to close my eyes lest he vanish.

"Tell me what happened, did I hit anyone? Please tell me I didn't kill anyone, I saw him but I couldn't stop. Who was it?"

A cool hand stroked my face,

"You didn't hit anyone Bella."

"But I saw him, he kinda flew through the air like he was jumping out. Oh God..."

"Bella, listen to me, you didn't hit anyone. The figure you saw was already dead, the accident was my fault and it's my fault you had the accident. I nearly killed you and I am so sorry, I wouldn't hurt you for the world."

His eyes were full of confusion and pain but they were no longer the golden eyes I remembered, these were scarlet and burned their way into my skull but I wasn't afraid, I knew whatever happened, whatever the truth, Jasper would never hurt me just as I would never let anyone hurt him.

"Why did you come back to Forks, Bella? You were safe."

"I came back for you."

It was the simple truth and he heard that in my words and laughed softly, a kind of exasperated sound.

"You should have stayed away, I don't know what's happening to me but you aren't safe here."

I pushed myself to my elbows trying to ignore the pains in my body and face and he helped me to sit up, leaning against his firm shoulder as the pains seemed to ebb away until I felt nothing. I didn't understand what was happening to me, to my life but I knew I was where I needed to be.

"It was my mother, she was with the people who came looking for me, for you. She wants to kill you, Jasper."

"Hunters! They don't frighten me."

The change in his voice was sudden and complete and I flinched at the icy tone.

"I'm sorry Bella, I didn't mean to scare you, I don't...it's like I'm two people struggling for dominance in this one body. The only time I feel like me is when you are here. What's going on?"

We sat there for a long time in silence and I could feel him tense and relax over and over if my mother was right then there really was a war raging inside him, a war he didn't understand but then how could he? I wasn't sure I could explain or even if I should attempt it, I was hardly an expert on the matter but he was in pain and it seemed I was the only one who could get through to him so I took a deep breath and tried.

"I...I think I know Jasper, some of it at least."

He sighed relaxing at the sound of my voice and I felt his breath, on the top of my head, heard him breathe in deeply and hold it so long I thought he must gasp for air but then he was a vampire, maybe he didn't need to breathe, there was so much I didn't know about him and I wasn't sure where to begin.

"Tell me."

The words were barely above a whisper but I heard them clearly enough and began to speak starting with the surprise meeting with my mother. He listened in absolute silence but I felt his body stiffen and his grip around me grow just tight enough to make breathing difficult but he knew before I said anything and released it just a little. I had the feeling he was like a drowning man and I was the only thing keeping him from going down for the third and final time. When I eventually fell silent I didn't know what to expect, I'd just told him he wasn't who he thought he was, that he was a Volturi tool, their dedicated killing machine, how could he possibly take all that in and stay sane? The whole thing was wicked and sickening.

 **Jasper**

As soon as I had Bella in my arms everything changed, she became my sole concern and I was determined that she would come to no further harm from me or from anyone else. A kind of peace descended over my troubled mind and I felt I had a shaky grasp on reality once more, all the feelings I didn't recognize or understand faded to the background although they never left me completely. I felt wretched at having caused her such pain and determined to take any she now felt for my own. I was the cause of it all and I would ensure she felt nothing of it but as she spoke I could feel her emotions growing more and more intense. That was understandable, she should have been terrified of what she had been told about me, felt loathing for the things I had done and fear for her own life. Although she said she wasn't sure how much of what she had been told was the truth we both knew that was a lie and that she knew I had been given orders to kill her.

How could I not know what I really was? Was it even possible this story might be true? I wanted to scream a denial, assure Bella it was all lies but I couldn't because deep within me I recognized the man in the story, the ultimate warrior, the bringer of death, and it was indeed me. In the short time we had been apart I had murdered, again and again, all the faces were crystal clear in my memory. The hunters and the one I had been unable to kill, the face I recognized because it was so much like Bella's own, her mother. Then the police officers and hikers and the last, the two wolves, one the young boy whose body so carelessly discarded had almost cost Bella her life.

It hit me then that but for her appearance, I would almost certainly have killed Carlisle and Edward without a second thought. Just remembering their names caused rage to swell up inside me, an almost unbearable urge to go, to hunt them down and rip their bodies to pieces before consigning them to the flames. There were others too, those names the Volturi had given me, the Vânători which included Bella's mother then Carlisle and Edward, any guardians who got in my way and Bella herself. Although the very thought of every other name filled me with an intense desire to hunt and kill Bella's stopped me in my tracks. The Volturi owned me, I was theirs to aim and fire as they chose but I had a lifeline, one thing I could hang onto that kept me from meltdown, my love for the fragile human in my arms and her love for me. How much courage had it taken for her to escape from her rescuers and knowing everything drive straight back into the arms of the most dangerous predator in the world?

The thing that concerned me most was how long would her influence be strong enough to keep me chained to reality and what would happen if I lost control again? It was crazy keeping Bella here with me, suicidal, but I didn't have the strength to let her go, not yet. Not until I understood why she returned, could her love be so strong it overrode her sense of self-preservation? I suddenly realized she had fallen asleep in my arms, the shock of the accident had been too much for her and found myself able to lose my own confused feelings in the peace of her dreamless sleep giving me some much-needed relief.

After a while, I laid her sleeping form gently down and went outside to think. How was it possible I knew nothing of my past centuries of life? Did I lose everything after one of my blood lettings? Did the Volturi bring me back a lifeless dummy to be stored away until I came back to life with a fresh start? No memories, no past yet I had lived for centuries as a warrior. It certainly explained my skills in battle, I'd never been beaten, no one had ever come close and it was all instinctual to me, I didn't even have to think about it. All these years I had thought myself a free man, free of Maria, with a past I couldn't remember except a vague notion I had been in the army. Well. I had, I'd just got the army and the battles wrong. Was it possible to follow a thread backward to my origins on a field of battle in ancient Greece? Did I even want to know my true origins?

I had a bigger problem to ponder for the present, what was I going to do? Bella had told me that my overriding need was to fulfill my orders but that would mean killing people I knew and respected not to mention my mate. If I disobeyed my orders what then? Did the Volturi have some way of overriding any resistance I might show? In short was I a man with free will or merely a puppet? I needed the answer to this, I had to know if I could decide for myself, my own destiny.

I stiffened sensing I was not alone although I could neither see nor hear anyone. I tested the air but there were no foreign scents to disturb me so what was making my skin crawl and the rage build up in me again? I felt my muscles tense, my caution take over and I made speedily for the woods sure that hidden in there somewhere was an enemy, a danger to my mission and to Bella. The very thought of her slowed my steps, I felt myself drawn back to her but something inside me was fighting this urge, pushing me onwards and I felt the venom flood my mouth, someone wanted to hide from me, well, let them try.

I glided through the dark undergrowth not making a sound but listening, ever alert for the slightest sign of my enemy. I heard the sounds of the insects scurrying beneath the dead leaves and mulch, the birds settling down for the night and an owl swoop overhead, out to hunt just like me, another apex predator. The thought made me smile, I too would swoop down on my prey and rend the flesh from the bones. Finally, I caught a faint scent as the breeze changed direction for an instant eddying around me. I recognized my prey, someone not originally on my list but someone who had just written his name there bold and bright, Peter Whitlock.

 **I wasn't sure quite where to put this message but here goes. I am rewriting one of my very early stories New Beginnings putting it in a more readable format and changing parts of it. I know the ending was controversial so I will be rewriting that too. I'm not sure whether to delete the original or merely replace the chapters as I did with A Single Ray of Light, any suggestions or preferences? Please let me know by review here or PM. I hope to start posting tomorrow or Saturday. Thank you for reading this and apologies to anyone who finds the message wrongly posted here. Jules xx**


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

 **Bella**

Something woke me, a nagging pain in my temples and a feeling of dread, something was wrong, the danger was thick in the air. I opened my eyes and looked around, I was alone, Jasper was nowhere to be seen and I began to panic, not for myself, my safety meant nothing if he was in danger. Had the Volturi really arrived this time? Or had I led my mother here? Maybe there was someone else out there, someone I knew nothing of even now attempting to hunt down the man I loved. I felt so stupid, so useless, I knew so little of his world and nothing even remotely useful but I had to do something so I staggered to my feet feeling all the aches and pains from my accident flood back as I opened the door and stepped outside.

I could see nothing, no clue as to which direction Jasper had taken and begun to panic before hearing my dad's voice in my head.

"The worst thing you can do in a bad situation Bella, is to panic, it'll only make things worse. Take a deep breath, calm yourself and try to think rationally before you act."

I did as he said, took three deep breaths and closed my eyes, I didn't think the danger I felt was for myself. As I calmed down I felt a strange sensation, like a tugging in the center of my chest and opening my eyes I knew somehow if I allowed myself to be led by the sensation it would take me to Jasper.

I moved quickly but carefully, if there were other vampires around I didn't stand a chance but if this danger were my mother or other humans then I would do all I could to ensure I gave away as little as possible in sounds as I made my way onwards through the woods following a narrow trail beneath trees that blocked out most of the light from the setting sun and stumbled a little over unseen roots that snaked across my path.

The same feeling that had led me on now urged me to slow down and I slowed my pace creeping forward as I heard a murmur of low voices ahead. I recognized one as Jasper's although the tone was cold and hard, the other was that of a stranger and I found an opening in the bushes where I could get a view of the two figures without being seen and listened intently hardly daring to breathe, was the stranger one of my mother's comrades? It wasn't Richard, I would have recognized his voice and this man was taller with shorter much darker hair.

"Thought I might find you here Major."

"So, you found me. Now prepare to die."

"What? Not even a few last words or a hearty meal for the condemned man? Shame on you."

I frowned, surely if this man had come looking for Jasper then he must know the danger? Why would he deliberately make light of it? I got a better look at the stranger, he too was a vampire. Was he one of the Volturi? He'd certainly called Jasper by his Volturi name.

"Do you think our friendship will save you, Whitlock?"

"I did wonder but I wasn't banking on it. I actually came to get a look at this human you're so fucking interested in."

I saw Jasper tense but the words that echoed in my mind were "Our friendship", this was one of Jasper's friends and it made no difference, he was being pushed onwards by his ungovernable rage, unable to control it and I knew in a few seconds it might be too late for the stranger.

I hadn't expected the attack to come quite so rapidly or ferociously but a second later the two were on the ground and a terrible snarling sound erupted from Jasper's chest, he had been devoured by the savagery that threatened to overwhelm him constantly. I stood up without thinking and stepped out of the trees calling his name as loudly as I could and praying that he would hear me over all the other noises. The stranger was powerful and skillful, holding his own but I could see Jasper was merely toying with him like a cat with a trapped mouse.

"JASPER, NO. STOP."

I knew he'd heard me when he hesitated, his teeth scant inches from the other's throat and whipped his head around turning red savage eyes in my direction. My blood ran cold but I held my ground, I was all that stood between him and murder and I couldn't allow him to kill someone who had been a friend, he would never forgive himself when this was all over if it ever was. It never even occurred to me that I might be putting myself in danger by attempting to stop him, not until much, much, later.

I stepped closer my eyes never leaving his face,

"Please Jasper, don't do this. Remember who he is, what he meant to you before the Volturi started playing with your mind."

The eyes once vicious and threatening changed subtly and Jasper loosened his grip as I walked up to where the two men were, Jasper astride the stranger's chest still holding him down, knuckles straining as the other hesitated unsure how to react. He turned his attention to me too and I shook my head in warning, don't move, please don't do anything to break his concentration on me. He seemed to understand and lay still although coiled to react should Jasper turn his attention back to his foe.

Not sure what to do next I stretched out my hand to Jasper and smiled encouragingly,

"Please Jasper, for me."

I wasn't sure our connection was strong enough for this to work and I prayed he wouldn't turn back to the stranger. He swallowed hard looking at my outstretched hand then moved so fast he was a blur. One moment he was astride the stranger, the next he was standing beside me, one hand in mine the other around his adversaries neck holding him above the ground and only an inch from his own face.

"Go, Peter, go now, and don't come back or I will kill you."

He threw the man he called Peter backward with such force that the collision between man and tree caused a terrific crash and a shower of splinters as the trunk cracked down the center and sagged outwards in a vee.

I grasped Jaspers hand very tightly and continued to speak to him as low and as calmly as I could.

"Let's go back Jasper, I think I should probably lie down."

It was true, I felt suddenly very dizzy and nauseous, the ground was undulating beneath my feet and there was a rushing sound in my ears. As the world before me dipped and swayed I felt myself lifted from the ground and lay my head on Jaspe'rs shoulder,

"Thank you."

He didn't answer and I knew all the aggression and rage was still there simmering below the surface and needed only one false move from Peter to set it off again so I glanced over Jasper's shoulder to where Peter stood watching us eyes wide and motioned with my hand for him to leave. To my relief, he understood acknowledging me with a single curt nod of his head and then he was gone and Jasper and I were alone once more.

 **Jasper**

It wasn't until I heard Bella's voice that I understood what I was doing, sure I'd recognized Peter but only as an enemy, one putting my mission at risk, I knew he was either here to stop me or had been sent to snatch Bella from me and kill her himself and all I wanted to do was tear him to pieces in my blind rage. Bella's appearance cooled my brain, allowed me to think although I still had the urge to finish the job I had started and kill him. When I took her hand the red mist began to lift and I grabbed a little control over my emotions, enough to understand that Peter wasn't the enemy but the mist was still there, hovering and waiting for its chance to descend once more.

Only when I heard him move away was I able to push it away enough to function but deep inside the beast was roaring his disapproval and I knew I was holding on by the skin of my teeth. I had almost no control over my actions or even my thoughts and that terrified me. My only hope was Bella and how long would it be before I turned on her?

She led me back to the cabin and I slumped down on the couch beside her my head down still fighting my demons.

"Jasper? Jasper, look at me, you aren't responsible for any of this and I know your friend understands that."

I lifted my head slowly, it felt like a ball of lead, and stared into her eyes,

"You think so? Then why did he come, Bella? If he knew how dangerous the situation why come? Did it occur to you that just maybe the Volturi sent him to check up on me? That his target was you?"

I saw her think about that then she shook her head,

"No, they have no reason to suspect anything is wrong. You said yourself you've already fulfilled a part of your mission in killing the hunters and you've checked where Edward and Carlisle are. Why would they doubt you? Besides, isn't he a friend?"

"Is he? How do I know that when I can't even trust myself? I don't know anything, all that I thought I knew turns out to be a lie, Bella. What is the truth about me and my life? Who do I believe?"

"Believe me, Jasper. Believe in our feelings for each other, they're real. If they weren't then I would be dead by now and so would all the others. We have to find a way to stop your compulsion, that's all."

I laughed, not at Bella, but at the thought of stopping myself.

"How Bella? I don't know how it started, who I am or even if there is a way to stop me."

She moved closer and I felt her warm breathe on my cheek as her soft lips burned a kiss on it.

"I believe we can Jasper and I'll help you find it. The Volturi aren't going to win and ruin this life you have."

"Why would you do all this Bella? Now you know what I really am? You saw what I was about to do to a man I had called a friend and fought beside, a man I had trusted with my own life. Aren't you in the least bit scared of me?"

"No, just scared of losing you."

I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close clinging on to my sanity through her embrace.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty One**

 **Charlie**

I must have fallen asleep in my chair because when a nightmare woke me with a start I found myself still in the lounge with the guy Richard watching me from the couch grinning as if something had amused him.

"Bad dream Chief? Vampires will do that to you, especially this one. Tell me, how did you come to make friends with the monsters?"

"In my defense, I didn't know what they were. I never dreamed vampires actually existed...werewolves either for that matter."

"Well, technically the Quileutes are shape shifters, not werewolves but I guess that's splitting hairs under the circumstances. I'd be more concerned about Isabella if she were my daughter. Aren't you concerned about her becoming a leech lover, it'll end in tears, it always does."

I opened my mouth to tell him to go to hell when I realized he was baiting me, looking to start a fight, and right now I had more important things to do although I was still curious as to where he fitted in Renee's life.

Ignoring him I went through to the kitchen to make coffee, I was still exhausted, I hadn't slept a complete night since Bella disappeared, and I doubted I ever would again after what I'd heard today. He didn't follow me but Renee appeared a few minutes later yawning and stretching just as she had always done after a nap and took the mug of coffee I'd just poured myself sitting down at the kitchen table and watching me.

"You look like hell Charlie."

"Thanks, can't imagine why. Any news from your spy?"

"Nothing new although she's still looking. I think he's staying put which gives us a chance to fry his ass and get Bella back."

It annoyed me that her main concern seemed to be destroying the vampire not saving our daughter but I let it slide, after all, I needed her to find Bella.

She slipped a small object from her pocket and glanced at the screen,

"They're about sixty miles from here by road which reminds me, did you show her that trail over the mountains from Canada? I was very impressed but she would never have found it by herself."

I didn't answer but I did remember the conversation and was shocked that Bella had taken it all in and remembered it, not to mention the fact she had driven it in the dark and even worse in the pouring rain.

Getting up I put my mug in the sink and turned to find Richard leaning against the door frame with that annoying grin still on his face, how my fists ached to punch it off right now.

"Well? Are we going?"

The grin dropped from his face to be replaced by something else, a deep concern. They exchanged a look then Renee sighed,

"I guess so, we have no idea how long they'll stay put so we can't afford to wait Rich."

He even sounded concerned now,

"Are you up to it Renee? You've used your gift too much recently, I can see it in your eyes. I said you should have let me knock the kid out in the truck the first time she played up. That gift of yours is too precious to waste on a disobedient kid."

I glanced at her eyes and saw they were heavy with weariness, not only that but she looked drawn.

"I'll manage and Charlie's right, we need to get moving."

"What gift?"

Renee smiled at me,

"I pack a mean psychic punch Charlie but it takes a lot out of me."

I still didn't understand but for now, I had more pressing concerns, I turned on Richard touching the gun I still had at my side.

"You ever lay a hand on my daughter and I'll shoot you dead without a second thought. Got it?"

His eyes narrowed but he nodded sullenly, I wasn't stupid enough to think he was scared of any threat I might make after facing much more dangerous adversaries for years but it seemed Renee agreed with my sentiments where Bella was concerned when she assured me that her friend had no intention of hurting Bella.

I glanced at the phone but I knew I couldn't call on my deputies, this was way beyond the law and they weren't equipped to fight monsters but... there was someone who could. I grabbed the keys to my cruiser,

"Wait here, there's someone I want to invite to the party if he's still around."

They both tensed,

"We don't work with vampires Chief, we kill them."

"Maybe you do, but this one owes me big time and his debt just got called in."

I didn't wait to see if they followed I just left, running down the porch steps which were slick with the heavy rain that was falling. I didn't know if Carlisle would still be at the house or not but I was going to find out and if he was then he could come along and use his vampire strength to help us get Bella back before something terrible happened to her.

It didn't take long to discover the Cullens had all left town now so I drove on to the res, the Quileutes owed me too and I wasn't taking no for an answer. If it came to a fight having a few of those monster wolves on our side wouldn't hurt. I went straight to Quil only to find Harry with him.

We exchanged a curt nod and I waded straight in demanding the wolves help me get Bella back from the vampire.

"Our hands are tied Chief Swan, besides you have the hunters with you."

"Yeah, my ex-wife and a guy with a bad attitude and a flame thrower. Do you think they'll be enough? Because if everyone is right about what a bad ass this Major really is I kinda doubt it myself and you owe me."

Quil continued to regard me but Harry, unable to meet my eye turned his attention to the wall.

"If I allow the pack to accompany you it could start a war between our two species, a war our leader is not prepared to countenance, not just for one girl."

"That one girl is my daughter Quil and I don't give a flying fuck about a war between your two species, only getting my daughter home safe and sound. Now, are you going to give me the pack or not?"

He shook his head slowly and sadly,

"I'm sorry Chief but I cannot."

I slammed the door on my way out cursing loudly and got back in the cruiser causing the wheels to spin when I trod a little too hard on the accelerator. I was halfway back to the house when the sight of four huge wolves standing abreast in the road made me stamp on my brakes. What the hell? Were they trying to intimidate me? If so they'd picked the wrong guy, on the wrong night, to try it!

I got out of the cruiser slowly easing my gun from its holster although I knew if I had to use it I was dead. I doubted even bullets would stop these huge beasts and I was outnumbered anyway. The biggest of the wolves who, other than size, all looked alike in the beam of my headlights approached his form shimmering and distorting until seconds later I was looking at Sam Uley pulling on a tattered pair of shorts he'd pulled from its fixing around his ankle.

When he straightened up he held out a hand,

"No need for the firearm Chief we aren't here to start anything, in fact, I want to offer you our help."

"Quil said your leader called you off."

"He did but I figure we're guardians, it's our job to protect and you and your family are practically members of the tribe."

"Won't you get in trouble?"

He smiled ruefully,

"We turn into giant wolves whenever there's a leech around, what worse trouble could we get into? When we find Bella and kill the leech what are our elders or our leader going to say? Do you think the Vânători will mind if we tag along?"

"You know better than me, Sam."

He shook his head at my ironic tone,

"I knew nothing about your ex-wife Chief, the elders didn't tell me everything."

I was glad about that, at least I wasn't the only person in Forks who didn't know about guardians and vampires because it had sure begun to feel that way.

Sam declined a ride back to the house preferring to run there with the other wolves who accompanied him... not the whole pack I thought and when I questioned that he nodded.

"You're right, I wouldn't let the younger members of the pack come, they are too inexperienced, these were all volunteers, Chief."

I tried to see them from the corner of my eye as I drove back but it was impossible among the dark trees but when I pulled up outside to find Renee and Richard waiting the wolves appeared too. Renee greeted Sam in Quileute, yet another facet of her that was alien to me, while her friend Richard eyed them warily. I guess I didn't blame him, as only Sam had phased and the others were regarding him stonily.

Renee seemed glad to have the pack along and I suddenly understood that she hadn't been relishing taking on The Major with just Richard and me for back up. With the wolves we stood a better chance of getting Bella back alive, all supposing it wasn't already too late. NO, I couldn't allow myself to even think that.

"Let's roll before he moves on."

I climbed in the back of their truck while Richard slid behind the wheel and Renee rode shotgun. She looked grim and determined but somehow vulnerable, despite the nap she's had there were dark smudges under both eyes and her face appeared drawn, she looked old suddenly

She turned in her seat to gaze at me,

"I really didn't think you would have any luck, Charlie. Johnny H is not going to be happy when he hears about this."

"I really don't care what anyone thinks. I'd make a pact with the devil if it meant getting Bella back."

She smiled and I saw to my astonishment there were tears in her eyes,

"I knew I'd chosen wisely in you Charlie. You love Isabella and you're willing to do whatever it takes to keep her safe, thank you."

"I'm not doing it for you."

"I know but I'm still grateful. Anyway, the tracker is still working so we'd better get going before she remembers and tells him about it although I doubt he'll be willing to dig it out of her body, all that blood might be too much for her."

I swallowed, the vision that conjured up was too graphic for my stomach.

"Where is it anyway?"

"In her left upper arm, remember that little scar the doctor told you was a small benign growth he'd removed? That's where he put the tracker in."

I rolled my eyes, even our doctor had been in on the plot, but no, wait a minute, our family doctor had been away, it had been a locum."

Renee followed my thoughts and nodded,

"Yes, it was a friend who took over when Dr. James was taken ill and yes, we arranged that too. Now I'm tired and I need to sleep, any more questions will just have to wait, I need to be strong when we arrive."

Richard stretched out a hand and touched her cheek gently,

"Rest now cariad, I'll wake you when we get close."

She smiled at him and closed her eyes curled up in her seat like a little child, very much like Bella had done when she was small.

She was asleep in minutes her breathing deep and quiet, and only then did I interrogate Richard,

"What language was that?"

"My grandmother was from Wales, she taught me a little of the language."

I nodded, fair enough.

"Is she ill?"

I didn't think Richard was going to answer but eventually, he broke the silence.

"It's her gift, using it takes so much of her strength and it takes her a long time to recover. She uses it only sparingly as a usual but your daughter has forced her to go beyond that. I'm not sure it will be of any good when we catch up with the vampire either, she said he shrugged it off last time but then she had used her gift on Isabella first so maybe she was just tired, let's hope so in any case. The presence of the wolves is a help, I hear they fight like demons."

"And what exactly is Renee to you?"

He laughed softly so as not to wake the sleeper,

"What business is it of yours Charlie Swan? You two were divorced years ago."

He was right but I sensed the two of them were close, far closer than Renee and I had ever been, still it seemed I wasn't going to get any more answers so I sat back and closed my eyes trying to absorb and make sense of everything I had discovered recently.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty Two

Jasper

I had no idea what to do or where to go from here and I was terrified I might lose it at any moment and harm Bella although she was supremely confident otherwise.

"I know you won't hurt me, Jasper, you love me, how could you?"

She was right, I did love her and that was the problem if I couldn't fight this compulsion to kill what chance did we have? She cupped my face in her hands, her beautiful brown eyes full of tenderness without a sign of pity.

"Read my emotions, Jasper."

My own were so dominant that I had difficulty but then suddenly there it was flooding me and warming very core, Bella's feelings for me were so strong they made me gasp and I knew whatever happened she would be there for me, I wouldn't have to face this struggle alone.

I couldn't leave her alone here, there was too much danger all around but I broke into a nearby ranger outpost and stole their emergency supply box if we were lucky it's absence wouldn't be noticed for months, if not and they came looking...well, then they would be the unlucky ones. As Bella sat eating she explained to me everything that had happened to her and all she could remember of what she had heard then suddenly she stopped chewing and her eyes widened in fear. Had she heard something? No, if I hadn't then she with her inferior human senses certainly wouldn't have.

"What's the matter, Bella?"

She was hugging herself and rocking,

"We have to get out of here, now."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I just remembered, I have a tracking device inside my body somewhere, they'll use it to find me."

She got up, upsetting her drink and grabbed her jacket,

"I have to leave Jasper, I won't lead them to you."

I took hold of her pulling her close,

"I won't let you leave, I can't Bella, I love you and I really need your help right now. Do you know where it's located?"

She shook her head,

"She didn't say."

I thought for a moment,

"Maybe I can locate it. It must be giving out some kind of signal, I'm amazed I haven't heard it before but even if I do..."

She understood,

"How can we get it out? You see, I have to go now before the hunters turn up."

I shook my head,

"No, let me see if I can locate it, maybe it's just under the skin."

She lay down on the floor and smiled up at me,

"If anyone comes in and sees us they'll never believe what we're doing."

"If anyone comes in I want you to get out, take the truck and get away from here as quickly as you can. I have no idea how much control I will have over myself Bella and I won't have your blood on my hands."

That sobered her and in a way, I wished I hadn't said it but it was the truth and had needed saying.

Her arms were the most likely place to start so beginning at her left shoulder I examined the skin of that arm but could see no blemishes, her skin was warm and soft and I could see the blood pulsing through veins and arteries but felt no increase of thirst, Bella was far too precious to me to harm her.

"Nothing there, let's try the other one."

"Hurry Jasper, we have no idea how far behind us they are."

Fear was emanating from her in waves and I tried to calm her but it wasn't easy keeping control and doing that too.

Halfway down her right arm, I found it, a tiny scar barely visible to the naked eye. I probed beneath the skin and could feel the tracker, a pea sized lump deep in the muscle, getting it out wasn't an option, that would require surgery. When I told her this she was adamant.

"Then I have to go and if my mother arrives and you kill her it will be on her head, not yours Jasper. I won't stay and draw them to you."

"Bella, I need you, please..."

She could tell how desperate I was and after a brief internal struggle she sighed,

"OK, I'll stay but I need you to trust me to help you, I'm not going to hide from danger."

"I'll find you a safe refuge in the trees, your influence will still reach me from there."

I wasn't at all sure this was so but I wouldn't have her on the front line if it came to war as it surely would. So, while she freshened up in some water I had pulled from the old well, cold but better than nothing, I went outside to find a suitable hiding place for her.

Bella

I wasn't going to hide away and I knew I couldn't run so I had to remove this tracker, then we could both find somewhere new to hide out. I loved him and there was no way I would allow anyone to hurt him, not even my mother, especially not my mother! I hunted around and found a sharp knife stowed away in the kitchen drawer. It looked clean enough and as I had no way to sterilize it anyhow I grabbed it and went into the bathroom where I had seen an old fly speckled mirror which would have to do.

I pulled off my tee shirt and cut two long strips from its fabric to use as dressings to staunch the blood flow then examined my arm in the mirror struggling to see the scar Jasper had pointed out to me. Then with a deep breath, I gritted my teeth and cut into the skin gasping with pain as the knife sliced through to the muscle below. In my ignorance I hadn't expected quite so much blood and the dressings I had prepared were soon sodden with it, if Jasper smelled this blood it might send him over the edge but if it did, if he killed me then it would not be his fault but mine for thinking I could do this.

My hand was shaking and I felt sick as the metallic scent of my blood filled the tiny bathroom but continued to probe deeper until the pain became too intense and I dropped the knife into the white basin which was steadily turning red.

The door banged open and he stood there tense his nostrils quivering then he saw me and his eyes opened wide.

"What the f...Bella, what are you doing?"

"Trying to get the tracker out but I don't feel so good all of a sudden."

As I said this my knees buckled and if not for his strong arms would have collapsed to the floor.

He swept me up and carried me back to the porch where he examined the wound,

"Girl you are crazy. Who else but you would deliberately cut themselves with a thirsty vampire around. I could have killed you."

"No you couldn't, but can you finish the job? I don't think I'm in any fit state to be running now."

 **Jasper**

I had smelled the blood and ran back as quickly as I could fearing someone had found Bella and hurt her but the sight that met my eyes was far worse. She had tried to cut the tracker out of her own arm! I was relieved that she appeared to have fainted because cutting the tracker out meant probing deeply into the muscle of her upper arm but finally it popped out and lay at my feet where I lifted a booted foot and crushed it. Ripping up my own shirt I bound her arm as best I could praying infection wouldn't set in and then carried her unconscious form into the cabin and lay her gently on the floor rolling up her jacket to make a pillow for her arm, keeping it off the dusty floor.

I sat watching her as she slept thinking how brave, and stupid, she was to put herself through all this for my sake, no one had ever loved me enough to make such a sacrifice before and I prayed she could save me, that we would have time together when this was all over. I was awoken from my reverie when she stirred and then tried to sit up groaning as she attempted to move her arm.

"IT feels like I've been mauled by a tiger."

"No, just a vampire attempting surgery. How do you feel?"

"Is it out?"

"Yes, it's out but your arm is a mess. A scalpel would have been better, a sterile environment even better still."

"We should leave, they must know about this place by now."

"Bella, you are in no fit state to go traveling. I had no way of closing the gash you made, you could bleed to death."

"Well, if I do then you can save me with your venom, turn me."

I shook my head, she had no idea what she was asking!

The decision whether to move or not was taken out of my hands when I heard a vehicle approaching and lay her down once more,

"Stay here, keep quiet."

I could feel the rage resurfacing and with it all my savagery, I had to get away from Bella before it overwhelmed me,

"I'll be back but stay here."

Those words were forced ahead of a vicious snarl and I left the cabin at a run ready to face whoever was coming and rip out their hearts.

By the time I saw the vehicle emerge from the tree line I was smiling, so the hunters had tracked me down. Well, it saved me the job of finding them and once I had killed these I would go looking for the Cullens once more and nothing would save them this time.

I stood in the center of the track leading to the cabin hands on hips ready to welcome them to my abode, the lair of the monster. I wasn't sure how many I had expected but two was something of an insult to my pride, did they really think so little of my abilities? I recognized the woman immediately, the same one I had allowed to live at our last encounter but not this time. This time I was ready for her resemblance to Bella and this time it would not save her. The man behind the wheel I recognized too, Chief Swan from Forks. Did he have any idea what he was letting himself in for? Did he imagine in his wildest dreams what he was about to face? I doubted it somehow but there was something nagging at my brain, where was the guy I had seen with the woman before? The one with the flame-thrower.

Looking around I listened and could hear the sounds he made as he tried to creep up on me from the rear, a good tactic normally I guess but useless with me, I knew he was coming and could hear the hiss of the igniter, let him try, this time he would be the one burning in hell. I turned back to the vehicle which had stopped one hundred feet before me and as I watched the occupants got slowly out only to be joined by four shapes slinking low to the ground, so they'd brought the dogs with them! At least this time it would be a challenge and I loved a challenge most of all, I smiled broadly and prepared to attack.

I was ready to fulfil a part of my orders.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty Three**

 **Charlie**

I saw the guy standing there in the center of the track at a distance and recognized him, this was Jasper Hale, Carlisle's so-called foster son, the vampire who held my daughter but it was only when Renee let out a little cry as we got closer that my stomach churned and I felt cold. He was naked to the waist and covered in blood, God knows what he'd been up to when we interrupted him.

"Oh God, we're too late, he's already killed her, Charlie stay back, there's nothing you can do, you'll just get in the way. Leave it to us and the wolves."

I stared at Renee, was she mad?

"He's just killed my baby girl and you expect me to stay in the fucking truck? No way, that fucker's mine."

I picked up the riot gun I'd taken from the trunk of my cruiser stomped on the brake and was out of the truck before it stopped moving.

He hadn't moved an inch just stood watching us but this wasn't the Jasper Hale I remembered, this was savage with bright red eyes covered in the blood of his last victim, my little girl. I pumped the gun and shot from the hip catching him mid chest but he just stood there, the bullets bouncing off. That didn't stop me though, I may not be able to kill him but I could sure as hell keep his attention while Richard sneaked up from behind and sent him back to hell where he belonged.

Renee had joined me and I could see she was thinking the same thing, she was staring fixedly at the vampire and I knew she was attempting to use her gift on him but it wasn't having any more effect than my bullets and she swayed slightly, blood trickling from her left nostril. Would that keep his attention or was he sated after his last meal? I swallowed down bile, I couldn't afford to think about that or I'd lose my concentration.

The wolves snarled as he smiled and gestured them forward as if they were puppies,

"Come on, let's see what you've got mutts."

The voice was hard and cold, expressionless although his eyes glittered with excitement and something else, unbridled rage. The wolves split up two approaching from the left while the other two branches right, surely he couldn't take all four out? Where was Richard? He should be in position by now but I could see no sign of him and then the vampire whipped around as if he'd heard something and Richard appeared but something was wrong. He no longer had the flame-thrower slung over his shoulder, the igniter ready in his hand.

"Rich, no, God no"

Renee swayed again and I saw what had hit her so hard, Richard had no hands to hold anything, no arms either. Where his shoulders ended were raw bloody wounds and he staggered then fell to the ground blood soon creating a wide pool around his motionless body.

The vampire appeared to be confused by this but only momentarily and then he shrugged it off and turned his attention to the wolves once more. I pumped the action and shot again but it was like trying to swat a fly with tissue paper, making no impression at all.

"Rich..."

Renee was on her knees now but I could see the anger in her eyes, anger and pure hatred for the vampire. She closed her eyes and I thought she would faint but instead her lips became a thin line and her face screwed up in concentration, she was trying her gift again.

The first wolves reached their target at this instant and a terrible snarling, screeching noise rent the near silence. All I could see was a blur, both wolves and vampire were moving so fast that the human eye couldn't make sense of it. Then with a howl one of the wolves flew through the air to crash against a tree and I thought it must be dead for sure but then it scrabbled upright once more and with an ear-splitting snarl raced back into the fight which had been joined by the other two wolves now. Surely one vampire couldn't fight all four beasts and hope to win?

"I can't...something is stopping me getting through Charlie...we have to go now before he kills the wolves."

I stared at Renee who had finally climbed back to her feet looking white and shaken.

"You think he'll beat all four? What is he?"

"A monster Charlie, your worst nightmare."

"Well, you go if you want, I'm not leaving here while there is the smallest chance of killing him."

She laughed bitterly grabbing at my arm,

"What with Charlie? Bullets have no effect, you can see that."

"Maybe not but Richard's flamethrower must be in the woods back there somewhere. If the Wolves can keep him occupied long enough I might be ale to find it."

"Charlie, there's something else out in those trees, the same thing that killed Richard. We have to leave, now."

The last word was almost a shout and I saw what frightened her, one of the wolves had been thrown clear to lay unmoving on the ground about a hundred feet away, glazed dead eyes staring at us in reproach.

She dragged me back to the truck but I broke free,

"Go, Renee get back to the reservation and tell them what's happened then stay there, you'll be safe and I'll join you when I can."

She pleaded with me to join her but I'd lost the only thing that mattered and I was damned if her murderer was going to walk free if I had the slightest chance of stopping him. I shoved her roughly and she staggered but then wrenched open the door and flung herself in turning the ignition and spinning the truck around as I ran off into the trees wondering just what had killed Richard and if it too would be impervious to my bullets.

Once in the trees, the undergrowth muffled some of the noises of the battle still raging between the vampire and wolves which was a relief. At least I stood a chance of hearing anyone creeping up behind me. I couldn't rid myself of the sight of the vampire covered in the blood of my little girl and I could only imagine her terror as he ripped her limb from limb as Richard had been or drained of her blood as he tore into her soft throat. I wondered if there was another vampire here too, maybe Renee and Richard has been unaware that this Major had an accomplice, after all, how could they possibly know everything about this creature?

I stopped when I saw a spot where the undergrowth had been crushed by someone running, possibly Richard attempting to get close as quickly as possible and followed the broken vegetation until I came to a spot still hidden from the vampire but where I could just see him some way off. To one side of him stood the cabin and I visualized Bella's poor ravaged body lying there on the floor eyes wide open and staring just as the wolf's had been. My first inclination was to break free of cover, run to the cabin and rescue the body of my only child but first, I had something else to take care of.

I hunted around and came across a patch of ground soaked in blood and to one side the grotesque severed limbs of Renee's taciturn friend. I listened, my rifle ready to fire at a moments notice, but heard only the sounds of the battle and the wind in the trees. As I checked around I saw a glint of metal and found the flamethrower half hidden under a bush. It was dented and smeared in blood but it appeared to be intact and when I struck the igniter it sparked, right! Let's see how this vampire liked a taste of flames.

 **Bella**

I was terrified, not for myself but for Jasper, who was coming and how many of them were there? I hadn't factored in how weak I would be after my home surgery, my arm was agony and I could hardly stand let alone walk but I had to know what was going on out there. I had heard a vehicle pull up, heard Jaspers voice although I couldn't make out the words and then the sounds of fighting but it seemed Jasper was fighting not men but demons who snarled and =growled, were his opponents other vampires or...oh God no, not the wolves... please not the wolves.

I just made it to the window without collapsing although my vision was blurred and everything appeared to be undulating slowly. Blinking to clear my eyes I could make out only a jumble of fur, arms, and legs as Jasper fought what looked like four wolves although they were moving so fast it was impossible to tell for sure. There was a truck speeding away and a figure disappearing into the trees. Someone, a hunter I assumed was trying to circle around behind Jasper to take him from the rear. I couldn't warn him, I could hardly manage a croak which wouldn't be heard over the ear-splitting snarls but I had to do something.

Using the wall to keep me upright I made it to the door and fumbled with shaking hands to turn the knob then almost fell outside collapsing to my knees in the dirt. My stomach flipped and I bent double and vomited feeling strangely better afterward and fought my way back to my feet just in time to see a wolf fly through the air, its limp body marking its death and it came to earth only a few feet from me causing me to fall backward.

"Come on Bella, get your shit together, Jasper needs you."

With those words ringing in my head I struggled back to my feet still with no idea what to do, I had no weapons, nothing that might help but I had to do something. Turning to my right to look for inspiration I recognized my mother's friend Richard but there was something horrific in the way he lay amid a pool of blood...what was wrong with the picture? When I realized he had no arms I vomited again, had Jasper done that? If so he had been defending himself but it helped to underline just how dangerous the situation was for us both.

A movement ahead and to my left caught my attention, someone was moving through the undergrowth, someone wearing the flame thrower I had seen before.

"NO, Jasper look out."

I screamed as loudly as I could at the same time as the final wolf fell dead at Jaspers feet and he stood there covered in blood and venom multiple slashes in his arms and chest healing as I watched. One arm hung low as if almost detached and I could see he was weakened. At the same time, another figure approached at the back of the one with the flamethrower, there were at least two more of the enemy and I feared Jasper couldn't take them both in his present condition. Fear filled my chest and anger inflamed my brain, I would not watch him die, I loved him.

A terrible scream erupted from my mouth, something primeval and suddenly everything went crazy. The two figures in the trees were tossed into the air and swept away over the trees, the wolf carcasses spun and crashed into the trees and bushes and the cabin door swung to and fro so violently it was ripped from its hinges and blown across the clearing just missing Jasper as it did so. As my scream subsided I fell to my knees and he was there at my side sweeping me up in his arms as the light faded from my eyes and I fainted but my last conscious thought was that he was safe and that was all that mattered to me.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty Four**

 **Charlie**

For a minute I thought I was going to make it, I was that close, ready to use the igniter and fry his ass but then two things happened at the same time, I heard someone closing in on me and a voice, a cry that came straight from the heart and the crazy thing was I could almost believe it was Bella's voice I had heard but before I had time to turn around and look for the person who screamed it was as if a tornado hit. The pressure was incredible and I found myself ripped from my feet and tossed high into the air. All around me were trees, bushes, the bodies of dead wolves and for a second I glimpsed the figure who had been about to attack me then there was a blast and I flew through the air so fast I couldn't breathe.

That something supernatural had taken place I had no doubt but what it was...well that was another thing entirely. I felt the flame thrower slip from my shoulder and struggled to jettison its weight. I really didn't want to come down hard with a tank of flammable liquid attached to me, it was going to be bad enough as it was, I must be at least a hundred foot from the ground although with all the spinning it was sometimes less sometimes more. Then as suddenly as it had come into being it stopped and everything went very quiet except for the sound of the wind as I began to drop. Luckily it had ceased when I was closer to the ground, only about twenty feet but that was high enough when I hit.

Clouds of dust threw up into the air from the crop I landed on breaking my fall and luckily not my neck or back. The ground was hard enough to knock the remaining air out of my lungs and I lay gasping for breath and allowing the pain of impact to wash over me for a few minutes before attempting to get to my feet. I had no idea if I were alone or if my stalker had been sent crashing to the ground close by so I was very careful how I stood, looking over the crop nervously but I could see nothing. The air was still, only a slight breeze and the sky was full of clouds but there was no sign of the tornado that had ripped me from the vampire.

I made my way to the edge of the field and surveyed my surroundings. A highway stretched to left and right and in the far distance, I could see a farmhouse and a tractor moving slowly along in the field closest to it. Well, I was still standing so I guess I should see it as a victory over death but that didn't make me feel any better. I had lost my chance at revenge and of bringing Bella's body back home for a decent burial unless he left it there in the cabin.

As soon as I got some transport I would drive back and try to find her body, I couldn't bear the thought of her laying there in an unmarked grave, the victim of a sick monster. I knew there were other things I should be worrying about, finding my world wasn't the relatively safe place I had always imagined, knowing that my friends held secrets that I couldn't have even begun to imagine not to mention my ex-wife was a vampire hunter! All that would have to wait though, I owed Bella and I would find her body if it took me years combing those woods around the cabin.

Of course, Richards body was still laying out there too and I wondered what Renee would do about that. I was sure theses vampire hunters covered their tracks, as well as the monsters they hunted, did. Again, I had no time to worry about it. If he was still laying there then I would put his body in the cabin and inform the authorities although what I would tell them I had no idea. I knew how I would have felt if a guy had come into my station and told e they had the body of a guy murdered by vampires in a cabin nearby!

Luckily the farmer was just going into his house when I showed up limping badly on a swollen foot and with cuts and grazes all over my face. I'd brushed my clothes down as well as I could but I knew I looked more like a vagrant than a police officer. Luckily I still had my badge in my pocket along with my wallet and once he and his wife were sure I wasn't a crazy they offered to drive me into town. I told them I'd been involved in a chase and my car had broken down some way back, it was a poor lie but they didn't question it, I guess they thought that was a matter for their own police department.

Once in town, I thanked them and handed over fifty dollars for their trouble then watched as they turned and drove back the way they had come. I was outside the police station but as soon as they were out of sight I turned and made my way to a nearby motel where I rented a room locked myself in and called the reservation.

"Harry, it's Charlie, is Renee there?"

"Yes, she just turned up but she's not saying anything that makes any sense., Sue called the doctor, he's on his way. To be honest we have no idea how she managed to drive here. What in the hell happened to her?"

I told him in as few words as possible what had happened and there was a short pause although I could hear he was talking to someone else in the room then he came back to me.

"Jake just turned up Charlie, they know about the deaths, what made you think you could take on the vampire? Haven't you heard anything we said? The tribe has lost most of its protection and for what?"

"Sam came to me Harry and I'll tell you what for, for Bella, remember her?"

I was so angry I cut the connection, screw Harry, and the Quileutes, Renee was safe and I was going back to that cabin to find my daughter.

Renting a car didn't present a problem and after maxing out my card on filling the tank, buying some new clothes, a map, a shovel, ammo for my rifle and some essential supplies I set off back towards the cabin not caring if the vampire were still there or not, rage blunted my self preservation all I cared about was finding my little girl. I remembered hearing her voice as the tornado hit but I knew it was just wishful thinking, she was dead, I'd seen the evidence of that all over the vampire's body and I wished she had never gotten involved with the Cullens.

It took the best part of two hours from starting off to approaching the area where the cabin lay and I parked up about a mile out preferring to do the rest on foot. If the vampire or vampires were still around at least I wouldn't trumpet my approach with the sound of an engine. The place was real quiet, only bird song and the scurrying of small animals in the undergrowth and I stepped cautiously avoiding twigs and anything that would make a noise. I knew about the super sensitive hearing vampires were supposed to possess and did my best although from what I'd been told that was unlikely to be enough.

When I broke through into the clearing it looked different, there were no dead wolves laying on the ground, no blood underfoot but what there was could only be described as utter devastation. Trees had been uprooted and flung around, the cabin door had been ripped from its hinges and the shutters hung drunkenly from their leather hinges. I surveyed the scene for a few minutes but could detect no sign of life and decided the vampire had left but I kept my rifle ready, even though I knew it was useless, and with my pack slung over my back I approached the cabin warily, peering inside with my heart in my mouth.

The interior of the cabin was a mess, the wind had gotten in here too but I could see dark stains on the floor and the couch, a trail of blood leading to another door I took to be a bathroom. Hanging from an unlit oil lamp was a shirt I recognized, one of Bella's and it too was bloody and ripped so this is where she met her violent end. I leaned against the door frame my eyes prickling with unshed tears. All these years as a lawman and when it came down to it I had been unable to save my own daughter!

The sound of soft footfalls made me spin around bringing my rifle to my shoulder ready to fire and expecting to see the vampire but I was wrong. A young man with shoulder-length dark hair and the features of a native American stood a few yards away hands raised watching me warily.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Please Chief Swan put the rifle down, I mean you no harm."

I kept my rifle right where it was,

"I'll ask you one more time, who are you? And how do you know my name?"

"The Quileute elders contacted me when they discovered their pack leader and his most experienced wolves were dead. My name is Johnny H, I'm the leader of the guardian tribes, I thought I might find you here."

I pumped the action,

"So, you're the ass-hole who refused to help save my daughter. I should shoot you right now."

He inclined his head,

"Perhaps but as you witnessed for yourself, the vampire you are so set on killing is no pushover and it is my first responsibility to protect my people."

I lowered my rifle with a sigh,

"Then I guess we both blew it."

He moved closer and I slid my rifle to my side,

"Did you see what happened to my brothers? Their bodies appear to have vanished."

I explained to him what had happened, how this freak tornado came along and everything went to hell.

He stepped past me and peered inside the cabin then slowly lowered himself until he was sitting on the cabin steps.

"So, what do you intend doing next?"

"I'm going to hunt down my daughter's killer."

He gazed at me thoughtfully,

"And just how did you intend killing him? Or do you have a gift too?"

"A gift? You mean like my ex-wife? No, but I do know fire destroys them."

"Yes, it does, but getting close enough to set fire to a vampire is more problematical besides which you would draw attention to yourself and the Volturi would be sure to send people to make you vanish."

"Yeah? Well, I guess I should get started before they appear then. I take it you're still not interested in helping me? Not even for revenge?"

"Revenge is a destructive emotion Chief Swan and it clouds a man's judgment. Would you feel the same way about this particular vampire if he hadn't murdered your daughter?"

"I guess I wouldn't know they existed, the wolves either but that's way in the past now."

"Yes, it is certainly a pity you had to learn of the supernatural world and living which such knowledge is not easy but you are strong, strong enough I hope to deal with the awful truth."

I looked at him suspiciously,

"What dreadful truth? That my daughter was slaughtered by a vampire while the guardians were prepared to stand by and do nothing?"

"No, something far more devastating, your daughter is not dead Chief Swan but she is with the vampire we know as The Major and I think she is quite probably the only person on this planet, human or supernatural, who is safe at his side."

I stared, not dead? Could I have been wrong?

"And the tornado that swept you away was not a force of nature Chief but the result of a gift, your daughter's gift. She save The Major from you but also saved your life I suspect because he was not alone, although I serious doubt the two vampires were working as a team despite certain connections between the two, when I worked out exactly what happened I came across your tracks and right behind it that of another vampire so you see, if you had not been blown away you would have been murdered."

I sat down heavily beside him unable to take in everything he said and with more questions now than I had ever had.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter Thirty Five**

 **Jasper**

It was the sound of my name on Bella's lips, her scream of terror, that lifted the red mist from my eyes but what happened next I couldn't explain. It was as if the sky literally exploded, a wind came from nowhere and whipped everything not tied down into the air followed by some that had been, wolves, humans, trees, bushes, parts of the cabin, it all went flying and spinning into the air and when the wind died as quickly as it had appeared the only figures still standing were Bella and me.

I had run to her side and scooped her up in my arms, whatever was happening she needed to get away from the devastation and I ran not stopping until we were more than a mile away and still debris picked up by the supernatural wind was raining down, branches of trees, bushes and even a wolf's hind leg dropped to the earth close by. So I sheltered with her under trees until the air cleared and peace returned.

Bella was unconscious although she didn't seem to be injured any further, the wound in her arm was however still bleeding which concerned me. The puzzle of the wind could wait a while, I had to make sure Bella was going to be OK. As I knelt there with her head on my shoulder she murmured then tried to sit up before groaning and laying back once more then opened her eyes and tried to focus. When she recognized me she smiled but it was an effort for her.

"You're OK, I was so worried. How did you get away?"

"To be honest I have no idea and right now I'm more concerned about you, you're still bleeding Bella."

She pulled herself to a sitting position leaning against me, her eyes full of concern but not for herself yet again!

"We have to figure out what's going on, there has to be a way to stop this Jasper."

I shook my head,

"You witnessed what happened back there, Bella. I have no control over my actions unless you are by my side and that's far too dangerous. I won't put you in harm's way, I can't."

She was silent for a moment,

"What are you saying? That you want me to leave you? I won't do it, Jasper, I love you and I won't let the Volturi destroy you."

"Bella, who knows when this hold you have over me might weaken? I could kill you as easily as I killed those wolves, even easier, and I couldn't live if I hurt you."

"Then we need to make me less fragile, turn me, Jasper."

I stared at her aghast, did she have any idea what she was asking? I could barely hold it together now if I bit into her I was terrified I wouldn't be able to control myself.

"I can't Bella, it's too dangerous, besides we have no idea if I can beat this. If not then what? Do I kill you? Leave you alone in my world? No, Bella, it's just too risky."

She didn't answer me just struggle to her feet,

"Something inside me is keeping you sane Jasper, if I become a vampire it will be stronger too, we can fight this together. Besides, if we don't stop this bleeding soon I think the question might be superfluous."

She swayed and I could see she was even paler than usual,

"Jasper, do you love me?"

"Of course, more than anything."

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Well, I think that the wind or whatever it was, I think I caused it. My mother is gifted and I did something when I escaped from her in Canada, I moved both her and Richard without touching them like I blew them away from me. Maybe that's a gift and maybe it's what keeps you sane when we're close, like...I don't know, like a mini whirlwind surrounding us and keeping the influence of whatever drives you from working. If I become a vampire that will only increase in strength and maybe if we can learn to control it you need never be under the influence of this curse again."

What she was saying made sense and I wondered if maybe she did have a gift, more of a shield than a wind, it would explain the eruption of chaos when she feared I was going to be killed but did she have any idea how powerful it could become? And what if she couldn't control it as a vampire. I'd heard of gifted humans being turned only to become a slave to their gift and ultimately go mad or die.

There was something else too, I doubted she knew who she had attacked back at the cabin but she had a right to know.

"Bella, did you recognize the people at the cabin?"

She shook her head,

"I couldn't see clearly, just figures, why?"

"It was your mother and father."

Her eyes opened wider,

"Charlie? Oh no, she dragged him into this? So now he knows all about vampires and the shapeshifters too?"

"Yes"

"What happened? Did you...?"

"No, he never got close enough."

"Then..."

I could see her working it out,

"Did I..."

"I don't know, he just disappeared along with almost everything else but your mother was already gone, he sent her away."

"She left him? She's the vampire hunter for God's sake, how could she?"

"The point is that your gift is capable of destroying not only inanimate objects but people too. Are you willing to risk killing again if you can't control it as a vampire?"

She looked me straight in the eye,

"If it will keep you safe then yes, I'm willing, although I know with your help I can overcome it, I feel strong when I'm with you. I won't leave you and if you try to run from me in some misguided attempt to keep me safe then I'll just hunt you down again."

There was no bravado in her words and no sign of anything but raw determination in her face and I loved her even more for her strengths.

"And if I kill you?"

"Then at least I will die trying to save the man I love, it's our only choice Jasper and I trust you."

I closed my eyes, of course, I wanted her by my side for eternity, I also wanted the peace she brought to the rage in my head but was that reason enough to end her human life?

"Please Jasper, I have to do this and once I can control myself we'll take the fight to Volterra, insist they release you from this compulsion or we'll bring down the walls of their citadel."

I smiled,

"You sound like me now."

"That's because I am, or at least I want to be. The Volturi have no right to play God with your life, it isn't theirs to mess around with. So?"

She was unsteady on her feet and I noticed the thin trickle of blood running from her nose. Yes, she was weak from loss of blood but I suspected there was more to it.

Feeling the trickle she wiped it with the back of her hand and regarded the smear of red.

"My mother said using her gift weakened her, I think using my gift ungoverned has weakened me. I'm not sure my human body can cope with the stresses Jasper, I feel..."

She slumped and I caught her before she could fall listening intently to her heartbeat, it was irregular and her breathing was shallow. Was she right? Had she destroyed herself in an attempt to save me?

Her eyes flickered open and she smiled,

"Sorry, I guess I'm weaker than I thought, I guess I'm not leaving you many options am I?"

"No, you aren't."

I felt wretched, still fearful that once I started I wouldn't be able to stop, especially if Bella's shield dropped as she slipped into unconsciousness.

"Don't worry Jasper...it's goin...going to b... I trust yo..."

Her eyes closed and blood began to flow more quickly from her nose as her heartbeat became ragged.

I offered up a prayer for the strength to do this and without stopping to think bit into the soft flesh of her throat injecting my venom deep into the artery as her blood spurted out more weakly than it should have. If her heart stopped before it could pump the venom around her body, into all the tissues then nothing could save her. The taste of her blood filled my mouth and the rage and thirst began to fill my brain once more. With a tremendous effort, I forced myself to stop, to pull away and then as I felt my control slipping I ran. Bella would be safe enough from most things for a little while as my venom saturated her human organs and tissue but she wouldn't be safe from the monster inside me until she was in control of her gift once more.

What I hadn't counted on was the eruption that followed me, the same tornado she had summoned before flattening the trees around with roaring sound knocking me from my feet and tossing me into the air. As Bella transformed her gift was a living entity with a mind of its own which would protect her but also keep me away until she woke up so maybe in some way she was still controlling my actions the only way she could.

I couldn't go back right now and my rage was building to fever pitch, I needed an outlet and certain faces came to mind, Edward and Carlisle Cullen and Bella's mother, the vampire hunter who had tried to thwart my mission. Nothing else mattered, nothing except killing and fulfilling my mission, I lifted my head to look at the sky and snarled my defiance, let them try to stop me, I was hunting again.

 **Felix**

Well, I'd found The Major and he was certainly hunting again but the girl he had just bitten was still very alive, in a technical sense and yet she was on his list of people to kill. To have resisted the compulsion to fulfill his mission had taken a superhuman strength of will, the question was, where did she fit into this equation? I would have liked to take her away, hold her until she woke and questioned her then but it was impossible to get close. I wish I had been close enough to hear their conversation but I had been late arriving which was just as well or I would have missed the conversation between the girl's father and the great Johnny H.

The fact this girl's father was involved in our world and her mother was a vampire hunter made her something of an enigma, her mother was responsible for her gift I supposed although I suspected that somewhere back in their shared ancestry one would find the hint of a vampire. That's how most gifts were passed into the human gene pool.

I wasn't sure how far I should get involved when I arrived at the cabin, Aro hadn't been specific but I knew he was keenly interested in the girl and saving his friend Carlisle Cullen. If The Major had been killed, however unlikely that scenario was, by the man with the flamethrower, then someone else would have been tasked with the mission, less spectacular, yes, but still as deadly, so I decided the only thing to do was to ensure he lived.

Pulling the arms off the human had been child's play and made for a good effect but maybe a little theatrical. Whether it would put The Major on his guard knowing another vampire was around, one not wholly against his mission, I had no idea but if so I hoped he would suspect his friend Captain Whitlock who was still sniffing at his heels. For now, though I needed to report back to Aro and obtain fresh orders, life was never dull in the Volturi, that's why I still enjoyed being a part of it even after all these centuries.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter Thirty Six**

 **Carlisle**

I still wasn't convinced that joining the rest of the family on Isle Esme was the right thing to do, would we be leading death directly to their door? We had no idea where Jasper was right now, only that Charlie and his ex-wife were hunting for their daughter who was presumably with him. I had never understood Bella, the way she had turned away from Edward but the thought that she and Jasper were something special to each other was simply unthinkable although it seemed that was the case.

We had reached the airport in Seattle and were waiting for a plane south, not directly to Rio, that would be much too dangerous, we would instead fly there by stages so we had a chance to detect Jasper should he be hot on our heels and then we would lead him anywhere but the island.

"At least another four hours until our flight now, I just checked and there's another delay Carlisle, they don't think the weather will clear as quickly as they predicted."

I nodded at Garrett who I had been chatting up the pretty brunette at the airline desk.

"I don't know why we didn't just charter a private jet, we could have been in the air before the weather closed in and no messing around with engine problems either. We could be here until tomorrow the way things are going."

"I have already explained Edward, if the Volturi are getting information to Jasper then our names on a charter agreement would cause red flags on their radar. Just be patient."

We were interrupted at this point by a call from Darius,

"Carlisle, all hell's broken loose in Canada, I just intercepted a call from Felix to Aro Volturi. It seems Bella Swan is the one keeping The Major from fulfilling his orders, he's already turned her and she has some kind of gift that means no one can get close to her. Her father, Chief Swan, is in communication with the Guardian leader and as a result, he knows just about everything there is to know. He's on his way back to Forks where his ex, the hunter is hiding out and Felix suspects The Major is headed there too."

I was still taking all this in when I noticed I had another call waiting and this one was Felix himself.

"Can I put you on hold Darius, I have Felix on the other line."

What Felix told me was more or less the same I had just heard from Darius but there was more,

"Aro says to stay well away from Forks right now but I'd say wherever you are isn't gonna be far enough. The Major has nothing to help him control his compulsion with the girl undergoing the change so all bets are off. You just have to hope he comes via Forks and takes out the hunter and a few Quileutes first, that will give you time to get some distance between yourselves and death but if this girl can't control herself when she wakes up...well, I guess your chances of survival just went down the pan."

"So, it is only Bella who has slowed him down this far? Where is she now? Perhaps if we could get to her while she's transforming and he's busy hunting Chief Swan's ex and the wolves we could use her as leverage."

"Sorry Carlisle, under any circumstances that would be an idiotic idea but under these? It's suicidal, besides you can't reach her. She's got some crazy gift that's protecting her as she changes and if she can't gain control of it when she wakes up then I guess there's gonna be one hell of a front page news story for the Canadian press. The only good thing about it all is that Caius and Marcus are frantically trying to find a way of contacting their assassin and give him an extra shove to make sure he kills her first, now she's out of control she's a security threat besides interfering with their hold over him. Of course, it's not gonna work, I've seen what she can do and I can't think of anyone who could stand against her, not even Alec."

"And Aro? What's he doing?"

"Basically sitting back to enjoy watching his brothers run around like headless chickens, his only concerns are you and Edward. He's busy trying to find a way to break the spell the other two conjured up but I don't fancy his chances. If I hear any more I'll be in touch but for now, my only advice would be to keep running."

Both Edward and Garrett had heard my conversation and I relayed the important parts to Darius.

"I'll keep my ears open for any news on The Major or this girl but Felix is right, it's not a good idea to stay too long in one place."

As soon as I rang off Edward started again,

"So, what are we going to do, Carlisle? Where do we go next? We can't lead him to Isle Esme and we can't stay here. Everyone says the same thing, keep moving."

"I'm well aware of the danger Edward. What do you think Garrett? Keep running?"

Our friend had been silent up to this point but that didn't mean he had no opinion on the matter.

He shook his head,

"You know me better than that, I never run from Johnny Rebel and it's been a long time since I found a decent opponent. I say we head back, find the girl and wait till she wakes up then snatch her. Sure she's gonna be stronger than any one of us but with Edwards gift, we should be able to control her between us. Then we get her to use a little of her influence to stop The Major from killing us all. Tell her we just want to help which isn't a lie, we just won't tell her who exactly we figure on helping, namely ourselves. Once she's got him eating out of her hand we move in for the kill."

"Kill Jasper?"

Edwards tone was horrified,

"We can't do that, he's not in control of his actions, he's not responsible. I mean, you know he and I never got on that well but I don't want him killed, I couldn't kill him."

Garrett snorted,

"You always were way too soft Edward, I guess that sticks in your craw too Carlisle, well don't sweat it, I'll do the deed, you just sweet talk the girl. With him dead, you're home free. The Cullens get a second chance, but you might want to think about branching off for a while, split the family up and pack away the welcome mat for humans, it tends to make the Volturi uneasy and we know only too well what they're likely to do if they get nervous. Let this be a warning shot across the bows for you Carlisle if we live through it that is."

"I should have stayed, tried to help Bella instead of running, by leaving we left Charlie no option but to work with the Quileutes and the hunters putting his life in jeopardy too. Maybe we should go back, we're partially responsible for the carnage after all."

Edward was shaking his head repeatedly and I knew he was afraid, so was I but we had a responsibility to stand by our actions and sort out the terrible mess we had created.

"No, no, no! Carlisle. I'm not going back, are you crazy? Darius and Felix both warned you that he's actively hunting us again and I have no wish to die."

"None of us do Edward but its a matter of principles."

"Screw principles Carlisle, you go back if you want, just leave me out of it."

I tried to persuade Edward to go back with us to find Bella but he was adamant and all I could get from him was a promise not to go to Isle Esme and put the others in danger or Denali although he was hardly likely to turn up there, it would be too close to danger.

"If he tracks you down Edward you know he'll kill you and alone you can't hope to beat him."

Edward shrugged,

"I have a few moves of my own Carlisle, remember I can read his thoughts, I'll know what he's going to do before he does it."

Garrett clapped loudly startling us both,

"Good speech Edward, there's just one little problem with that plan."

"Oh really? And what's that?"

"The Major doesn't need to think to fight, it's instinctual and while you're busy trying to read whatever is churning in that crazy rat hole of a brain of his he'll be busy gutting you and frying your entrails."

"You give him the status of a bogeyman, Garrett. Anyone would think you were scared of him, I know Jazz, I've lived with him."

"Afraid? Sure I'm afraid, only a fool wouldn't be but I know him, how his brain works and I'm warning you, don't underestimate what he's capable of without having to stop and plan it beforehand."

Edward wasn't to be dissuaded from leaving us and I watched sadly as he picked up his bag and walked away to the ticket office for European flights.

"Do you think he'll be safe if he goes overseas, Garrett?"

"In the short term maybe but eventually? If our plan fails then no, not a hope in hell. So I guess we'd better head back and make sure we don't fail. Canada here we come."

 **Edward**

They were fools to walk straight back into the lion's den, Jasper would fall over them if he went hunting for anyone in Forks but maybe it would keep him busy enough to allow me to escape. I would fly to Paris and from there drive through to Italy. When I turned up in Volterra offering my gift to the brothers they would accept me with open arms and then I would be safe from Jasper, I was too valuable for them to allow me to die.

The next flight out was in eighteen hours which was longer than I wanted to hang around in Seattle but couldn't be helped. I considered beginning my journey by driving to Portland, at least that way I would be on the move constantly but when I checked the schedules I found I would still have a long wait, it was all down to this weather front, here and in Portland.

I stowed my luggage in a locker and left the airport for a run, anything to relieve this tension but I hadn't got far before I recognised a figure moving slowly but purposely towards the airport and felt a chill run through my body, how had he gotten here so fast and how had he known where to come? Somehow he had figured out we were still in the area and knew we would be fleeing so I guess the airport was a natural choice.

I hesitated, I could continue to run, he hadn't seen me yet, and get clean away but doing so would leave Carlisle and Garrett to their fate. .With a sigh, I turned back and ran hoping Jasper wouldn't become aware of my presence as I did so, straight back to the airport and Carlisle.

I was just in time to catch them, a bemused looking parking attendant stood shaking his head wondering why anyone would pay for long term parking only to pick it up again less than two hours later. As soon as they saw my face they understood and I wrenched the back passenger door open screaming at Carlisle to "Go go go."

He hit the accelerator and the car took off but only a few hundred yards down the road Jasper was on us and leaped onto the roof attempting to rip it off and get at his quarry inside. Carlisle was swerving the car violently to throw him off but he had a good grip on the roof where my window was wound down a little

"Hold on"

Carlisle whipped the car back and forth again but to no avail until Garrett turned and grabbed Jasper's hand where it dug into the roof lining and bit down on his wrist. I felt venom fly into my eyes and blinked to clear my vision as I heard a howl of rage from the roof then a horrible cracking noise and looked to where Garrett held the dismembered hand in his fist.

"Keep it straight, Carlisle"

With that command, he rolled down his own window and climbed out swinging himself onto the roof where Jasper still clung on snarling loud enough to burst human eardrums. We could hear the savage fight although we could see only a leg or arm as one or the other slid across the roof during the skirmish then there was a piercing scream and I turned to see two bodies hit the road behind us straight into the path of a semi-trailer which mowed them both down before he was able to stomp on his brakes which came on with a terrible hissing noise.

Carlisle slowed and I stared at him in disbelief,

"Are you crazy, keep driving, we don't know how long that will slow him down for, this is our chance."

He turned to me,

"And leave Garrett behind? I don't think so Edward."

I jumped over the seat into the front and attempted to wrestle the wheel from his grip then found myself hauled through the window onto the blacktop. Fearing the worse I looked up but it was Garrett's face I saw with relief.

"Going to leave me behind were you Edward? I'll remember that now get in and shut the fuck up. Carlisle go, now. He won't be down for long. I only just maneuvered him under the wheels to avoid them myself."

As Carlisle drove away I saw a figure roll out from under the truck and the driver, putting down a hand to help as there was no one else around, disappeared into the bushes at the roadside. Garrett was right Jasper would soon be healed, he had all the blood he needed to do so in the veins of the very driver who had mown him down.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter Thirty Seven**

 **Charlie**

I wasn't entirely sure I was really even awake, everything I had seen and heard over the past few days seemed so incredible that it couldn't possibly be true but here I was driving back to Forks with the leader of the guardians after seeing a vampire ignore the shots from a riot gun and take down four huge wolves single handedly. I was being asked to believe that my daughter was with this vampire and it was only her influence stopping him from killing everyone on some hit list his bosses, the vampire world's very own kingly trio had handed him. Not only that but the ex-wife I hadn't seen in around seventeen years was a vampire hunter and all my friends were either shape shifters or knew all about them and the existence of vampires.

"It's a lot to take in Chief Swan, I don't blame you for being skeptical."

I turned to look at the young man at my side, hell he didn't look much older than Bella!

"Sceptical? I'd say that's an understatement but I'm hanging on to the thought that just maybe you are who you say you are and that telling me Bella is still alive isn't just bullshit to persuade me to go back to Forks."

"It's not, neither is the truth that so long as The Major lives we are all in terrible danger. By helping you and the hunters the Quileute pack has put the whole tribe in his firing line and he's a man who never forgets a target."

"That's why you refused to help when you were asked?"

"Yes, it's my responsibility to keep my people safe and that means using the guardians wisely. This was a fight between vampires and nothing to do with us until The Major made it my business by wiping out the command structure of the Quileute wolves. He won't stop there Chief Swan, The Major won't stop until he has wiped out the whole pack and as many of the hunters as still survive although I'm rather sad to say that seems to be only your ex-wife and another female still tracking The Major for her dead comrades."

"So what now? Are you still going to sit on your hands while more people die?"

"That would depend on the people Chief, if he threatens the Quileutes then we will try to save them as the pack should have done. If The Major merely threatens the hunters then so be it, they always refused my help in the past using us merely as a safe haven but that arrangement is now at an end."

2What does that mean?"

"It means that your ex-wife is no longer under our protection, she brought this danger to my people, she can lead it away."

"Why are you so afraid to fight this vampire?"

He studied me coldly then nodded,

"Afraid? I suppose you could see it that way chief although my concern is for millions not just myself. For centuries the vampires and guardians have lived in peace, or at least with an understanding. If the Volturi keep the vampires off our land we will not actively hunt them down. If they stray onto our lands, however, they are ours to kill."

"But surely there aren't millions of vampires? You have a numerical advantage at the very least."

"No, we do not. There are only a few guardian tribes with a full pack and these only spring into being where there are vampires close by for a protracted time and as you probably know from your ex, vampires rarely settle anywhere for long, the Cullens are an exception to that rule and have their own treaty with the Quileutes. If the Volturi were to declare war on my people they could wipe most out in a heartbeat."

"So, why don't they? Why keep a threat alive that could be eliminated?"

"Because ironically enough we serve a purpose. We are a free police force, killing rogue vampires who break the law and stray onto our land and because they know that should they start a war the guardians would head straight for Volterra and while you saw The Major take down four wolves alone he is the exception, not the rule. Most guardians can kill a vampire one on one and we are willing to die to make sure the Volturi go down with us."

There didn't seem to be much more to say after that, not about the guardians anyway, but he knew I wasn't going to give up on my little girl now I knew she was still alive.

"So, any idea where Bella and the vampire are now?"

"Not as yet but I have people working on it."

"Bella had a tracker in her, courtesy of my ex-wife so maybe..."

He pulled something from his pocket, something wrapped in a bloody cloth,

"You mean this? It would appear someone removed it."

I stared at it horrified, the vampire had cut the tracker from Bella's body?

He shook his head as if he'd read my thoughts,

"I doubt it was The Major, to open himself to such temptation would be almost impossible. No, I think your daughter cut it from herself."

"Did it herself? But why?"

"To save him, your daughter, unless I am very much mistaken, is the vampire's mate, it's the only explanation that fits the facts and if that is so then I suspect she will become a vampire herself very soon so she can protect him."

"Protect him from who? You? The Quileutes? The hunters?"

His eyes were full of compassion for me as he replied,

"No Chief, from himself and the Volturi who sent him on this killing spree."

"But if he turns her doesn't that mean killing her?"

"Yes, in a way, but she will be reborn as a vampire and then her gift will be even more powerful, powerful enough to not only protect him but perhaps even to turn his compulsion to kill against the Volturi themselves."

I narrowed my eyes in suspicion,

"And that would serve your cause now, wouldn't it? Destroy the Volturi without any loss of guardian lives, what about my daughter though? She's just a girl, a young girl."

"And The Major is just a young man and has been for well over a century, in that respect, they are well matched."

"A century? Vampires don't age?"

"No, they are frozen at the point they turn from human to vampire and although I understand your suspicions I do not need anyone to fight my battles for me, I can take down a vampire as well, if not better, than any other guardian, but then I have centuries of experience."

I stared,

"So guardians don't age either?"

"We do but it stops when we phase and if you phase often enough over the years it stops altogether. I'm a lot more experienced than I look Chief, or didn't you wonder why a young man like myself was in control of the guardian tribes?"

"I guess I never really thought about it, so how old are you?"

"Let's just say I have seen the Spanish and the Russians call my land their own well before it was sold to the U.S in 1867."

"And you've been keeping your people safe all that time?"

"I have and sometimes that means making tough choices Chief, just remember that. My people come first every time, no matter what else is happening and who else gets hurt, I will protect my own."

"I understand but in return, you must understand that I'll do the same and the only one I care about right now is my daughter whether she be a vampire, a guardian, or still a human."

We reached the Quileute village soon after that to be met by Harry and Quil who must have been alerted to our coming, probably by what remained of the wolf pack. Johnny H and Quil Ateara disappeared into the community center they used sometimes for council meetings and I could see other elders already waiting inside along with a couple of young men I suspected were wolves.

Harry took my arm,

"Renee is at our house with Sue, the doctor had to sedate her, she's very sick Charlie. I have to go to the meeting but I thought you might like to see her."

I shrugged him off,

"She waited seventeen years, she can wait a bit longer, I want to know what's going on."

He frowned but I didn't wait for a response merely pushed past him and walked into the center joining the elders as they sat around the table, Quil and Johnny H at its head.

Most of what was said I already knew and when the elders got their asses handed to them by Johnny for allowing the wolves to leave the res I smiled to myself, let him take it out on these elders, as far as I was concerned Sam did exactly what he should have done.

"You have lost your protectors here and we know that The Major will come for the rest of the wolves in revenge."

My smile faded as I thought about that vampire ripping his way through the small village killing everything that moved.

"There is no way of protecting you here now, the villagers must move to Denali."

"Denali? Why not Makah?"

Johnny H turned slowly to look at Billy Black,

"The Makah have only a few guardians and it would be unthinkable to put innocents in danger because of your own pack's folly."

"We cannot leave our home, surely there is something you can do."

"If you insist on staying here very little, you are too isolated and The Major is already on his way. Your only chance is to leave now and accompany me back to Denali. If it becomes safe for you to return in time, then you may, of course, come back, but for now...I will not have others put in jeopardy and my own guardians are busy looking after your nearest neighbors in case of reprisals."

As the meeting broke up in a heated discussion between the elders I left to see Renee, not because I cared about her, that had died years ago but because I felt I should because she had been in shock and thought our daughter dead unless someone had told her otherwise. When I reached the Clearwater cabin I found Sue waiting for me.

"Hello Charlie, I was hoping you'd come. Renee is in a terrible state as I'm sure are you."

"Does she know?"

"That Bella is still alive? Yes, but it doesn't seem to have made any difference. The doctor gave her sedatives but she's very weak, it's her heart."

"Really? I didn't think she had one."

I couldn't find it in my heart to feel sorry for Renee, not after all she had done both to Bella and myself but I followed Sue inside to see her.

She did look bad, there was a sheen of sweat on her face and she was so pale as if all the blood had been drained from her body but when she saw me she lifted a shaking hand and took mine.

"Charlie, you made it, I thought you were dead for sure."

"Nope, it takes more than a vampire to kill me."

"Did...did you bring Richard's body back with you?"

I stared at her, shocked beyond words,

"Richard? Is that all you can think of? What about Bella? Or isn't she important?"

"Sue told me she's still alive but she chose the vampires over me...over you too Charlie. Richard didn't have a choice, he was trying to save you all from them."

"Renee, are you still intent on killing vampires? I only ask because your daughter is likely becoming one right now. Will you kill her too?"

Sue tried to usher me from the room tutting under her breath but I was staying put, I wanted an answer.

Renee looked at me with fever bright eyes, then spoke more strongly than she had since I walked in,

"If Isabella becomes a vampire then yes, Charlie, I will hunt her down and kill her along with every other of their kind. It's what I was born to do, what I've spent my life doing. It's what my father did until cancer took him from me and I guess it's taking you away too."

"No Renee, you took yourself away and if I find Bella first you'll have to kill me to get to her."

I turned and walked out not stopping to speak to Sue, I'd had a bellyful of the Quileutes and my ex, they could all rot in hell as far as I was concerned, I needed to find my daughter.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter Thirty Eight**

 **Carlisle**

Edward was still convinced that going back was a mistake,

"We should be headed away from Forks if Jazz is headed there after the Quileutes, if we go there we're making ourselves sitting ducks, tell him, Garrett, maybe he'll listen to you."

"Edward, just shut up. You came back rather than keep running so you're fitting in with our decisions now and we're going to Canada."

"You really think you can find Bella? And if you do? What then?"

"We try to persuade her to stop him from killing us."

"As simple as that?"

"Simple? No, but it is our best chance for survival, besides if we have Bella then he's not going to attack us now is he?"

While they continued to argue I called Darius for an update,

"You really should have listened when I told you to ge5t the hell pout of Dodge, as it is The Major isn't far behind you and he's not going to stop, not now the girl is unconscious. Whatever influence she may have had over him isn't working now and even the Volturi are getting a little worried. It appears he's not keeping to his script, usually, he's finished with business and ready for a nice nap by now and they are concerned maybe they are losing control of him. Can you imagine a man-eating tiger let loose in a kindergarten? That's more or less what they have right now. If he's not taking down his targets then just who is he aiming for?"

"But if we get to Bella first, if we can just speak to her, explain the situation, that she can save us all."

"You might find that a tad difficult seeing as she's gonna wake up with a terrible thirst and an even more terrible attitude as a newborn but knock yourself out Carlisle, I guess it's as good a plan as any considering where you are."

He gave me directions to the cabin where Charlie and the hunters had come across The Major and Bella, I hoped to be able to track her from there.

"Be careful Carlisle I have no idea where Felix is now but he was sniffing around and Johnny H has been there too."

"Johnny H? Yes, Felix mentioned that, has he made a decision? Is he going to use the guardians to take Jasper down?"

He laughed,

"I doubt it, he'd lose too many men that way and the Quileutes disobeyed a direct order. I imagine he'll send the remaining villagers to Denali until the smoke clears, after all, it's not really his fight now is it?"

Darius was right of course, this was vampire business that the Quileute pack decided to meddle into their cost.

We drove to within a mile of the cabin and then began to see signs of Bella's gift, trees with branches snapped and debris caught among their leaves, large stones scattered on the track and lodged in the undergrowth and one severed wolf's paw dangling obscenely from a trail marker.

"I guess we'll be walking from here on in."

We left the car off the track hidden by undergrowth and continued in on foot finding the devastation becoming more and more apparent, By the time we reached the cabin it looked as if an explosive device had been set off in the clearing.

Cautiously we approached the cabin and Garrett peered in,

"No one there but signs that a human was in residence, there's blood on the floor and the arm of the couch, I guess Bella was injured at some point."

"Darius said he'd lost the signal from her tracker device her mother had implanted in her when she was a baby, maybe Jazz found out about it and cut it out."

Edward shook his head,

"He wouldn't do that, it would be crazy putting himself in such temptation's way, no if I had to guess I'd say Bella did it herself."

Garrett's eyebrow shot up,

"Does she have a death wish or is she just loco?"

"More like stubborn and determined. If she's decided to protect Jasper she'd do anything to achieve it, she was always wilful."

"Yeah, but even so..."

Garrett broke off staring over our heads and we swung around to find Peter Whitlock standing watching us from the edge of the trees.

"Well, well, what do we have here?"

I moved in front of the others knowing how volatile Peter's temper could be.

"We're looking for Bella."

"Really? And why do you want her?"

"To help stop Jasper before he kills us all and destroys himself. Do you know where she is?"

"I've seen her and I can tell you this, you stand no chance persuading her anything right now, you can't even talk to her."

"So, she is transforming? Well, once she wakes up we can talk to her, we just need to be patient."

"You need a lot more than patience Carlisle, you can't even get close enough to speak to her and if she can't control her gift when she wakes up the Volturi are gonna have one hell of a fucking headache."

He agreed to take us to Bella and we followed him through the trees and into the gloom but that didn't last long. The further we walked the more devastation appeared again.

"Was this caused at the time she destroyed the clearing?"

"Nope, this is new shit."

I glanced at him waiting for a further explanation but he just grinned,

"You'll see soon enough."

A dull roaring sound reached our ears along with the sounds of wrenching and screeching.

"What's that?"

"Bella's busy trying to redesign the forest in her sleep. See..."

He had stopped and pushed some bushes aside and we stared in shock and awe.

Bella lay curled up in the center of what can only be described as a maelstrom made up of whirling branches, stones, and earth that reached at least forty feet into the air.

"Impressive eh? You can see what I mean by not getting close."

Garrett studied the situation for a few minutes then shrugged,

"There's nothing there that can damage a vampire for long. Maybe I can reach her, if we can cut across her concentration maybe her gift will stop working, after all, she's going through the burn of the change so she can't have much control over it. You gonna help Edward?"

Peter and I watched as Edward and Garrett approached the edge of the maelstrom then stepped inside where they were partially obscured by the debris which whipped around them. As Garrett had pointed out the stones and branches snapped against vampire skin and fell only to be picked up again and tossed high but as they got closer I could see the situation change. First Garrett and then Edward came to a halt about twenty feet from Bella and their outlines began to waver strangely then I saw the first section of Garret's right arm literally peel back from wrist to elbow and the same thing was happening to Edward. The force of Bella's shield was tearing them apart.

"Get out, quickly."

I wasn't sure they heard me over the noise of the maelstrom but Garrett turned and began staggering back towards us while Edward fell to his knees surrounded by ribbons of vampire flesh only attached to his body at one end.

"Garrett, get Edward, she's killing him."

Garrett turned and grasped Edwards wrist hauling him to his feet and pulling him back as the ribbons of flesh whipped around them both sending a fine rain of venom beating down on Peter and myself as it was spun out of the confined area of Bella's shield.

As soon as they were free of it I ran to Edward horrified to see what she was capable of but relieved to see he was already beginning to heal, the ribbons of flesh wrapping themselves back into place.

"Now that was fucking impressive don't you think?"

"Impressive? She almost killed two men without opening an eye!"

"That's what I mean if she can do that when she's not trying just think what she's really capable of."

"And if she can't?"

I was angry with him, he didn't seem to care about what had happened to Garrett and Edward but he ignored my tone and looked around then touched my arm,

"We have company Doctor."

I looked around to see that another figure had joined us, one I recognized,

"Chief Swan! What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Carlisle. That's my daughter."

"I know but...you do know she is transforming into a..."

"Vampire? Yeah, I know but it doesn't alter the fact that she's my daughter and no one is going to use her for anything, least of all you."

Studying Charlie I saw he was wearing a shotgun over one shoulder but it was the item he held in the other hand that concerned me

Peter had moved ready to pounce but Charlie hadn't missed him and he shook his head.

"I wouldn't, I didn't come totally unprepared for vampire trouble."

He hoisted the weed burner that he carried,

"It's got a double tank so I've got plenty of firepower."

Peter grinned,

"And you think you can take us all with that before we can tear your throat out?"

"Nope, but I can sure get one or two and...oh yeah, I found a couple of these too."

He put his free hand on his belt and I saw two grenades hung there,

"Right, so you're gonna blow yourself up? Good idea, better than being torn to pieces by one of us."

"Actually I thought I might pull the pin and fry your ass along with mine. They're incendiary grenades and I'm willing to die to keep my daughter from you or any other vampire who thinks she'd make a good shield to protect your sorry asses from Jasper or whatever he calls himself."

I put a hand out to stop Peter from making a stupid reaction to Charlie's words,

"We don't want to hurt Bella, Charlie, we just want to speak to her when she wakes up."

"Yeah? Well, when she wakes up I imagine there will be a lot of people wanting to speak to her and I'm top of the list so back off."

Garrett had moved to the side and lunged forward before I could stop him but Charlie's reflexes were fast and he had the weed burner up and pointed in Garret's direction the igniter hissing menacingly while in the other he held a grenade with the pin half pulled.

"Go on, make my day."

I closed my eyes knowing neither my friend nor Peter could resist an invitation like that but neither reached him, instead they were flung back violently and Charlie buffeted by the same force dropped the grenade but fortunately he hadn't pulled the pin out completely and I ran forward and grabbed it as it bounced up from the ground.

We all turned to look at Bella, surely this must have come from her, she had to be awake but no, she was in the same position as before so what was going on? Peter launched himself forward again only t9o be tossed back and I shook my head to Garrett,

"No, stop. There's something going on here."

I looked at the grenade in my hand and stopped down to place it on the ground then nudged it towards Charlie. It rolled to within a few feet of him then stopped suddenly rocking back and forth.

"It mist be Bella, somehow she knows you are here Charlie, she's protecting you."

He stared down at the grenade then reached down and stretched out a hand to pick it up.

"How am I able to pick it up then?"

"I have no idea but maybe Bella doesn't sense it as a threat like she did Peter and Garrett. Let's see."

I walked slowly forward but at the same distance as the grenade I felt the air become thick and was unable to move any further, Bella saw all of us as a threat to her father but how she knew what was happening when she was still unconscious which was strange in itself I couldn't begin to understand. I guess we'll have to wait until she wakes up to find out if she woke up before Jasper arrived back.

 **Just to let you know that I will be away for three weeks from tomorrow but I will post as often as I can. Love Jules xx**


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter Thirty Nine**

 **Aro**

Felix had reported in and it seemed my brothers were not in control of The Major after all, at least not when the girl was around. Considering this I suggested that we might hold the upper hand if we had control of the girl but Felix pointed out that gaining control of her might be more difficult than controlling him.

"She has a powerful gift Aro, I'm still monitoring the situation and we aren't the only ones to think of that, she's almost killed Garrett and Peter Whitlock, the only person who seems to be able to get close apart from The Major is her father, Chief Swan."

"But you said she's still changing."

"I know, she's doing it automatically. It's creepy. If you want the girl then we're going to need to control her father."

"Is it possible to reach him?"

"If he moves away from her but at the moment he's surrounded by Carlisle, Edward, Garrett and Peter Whitlock."

"Then I suggest we need The Major to make an appearance, that should move them on."

"As long as he chases them, he could stay with the girl."

"No, so long as she is unconscious I doubt her effect on him is strong enough to overcome his compulsion to obey orders, besides he can see she is protected and doesn't need him. If he appears and I suspect he will, chasing the Cullens then you must take control of her father, you might be able to persuade him that his and his daughters best option would be to have my protection, if Caius and Marcus find him then they will kill him. Make sure he understands that."

"I'll do my best Aro."

I decided to see how much of recent events my brothers were aware and went to find them, as usual, they were closeted together in Caius study and looked surprised and unhappy to see me but Caius soon had his expression under control.

"Aro, it's been a while. Have you come for news of the Cullens?"

"Dear brothers as you are in control of the situation it seemed the sensible thing to do."

They both looked at me suspiciously,

"Are you sure you don't have your own spy on the ground?"

"Why? Should I have? Surely things are going just as you planned them, after all, you have control of The Major so what could possibly go wrong?"

They exchanged an uneasy glance and I pressed on,

"Or is there something wrong?"

Caius sneered but it wasn't entirely convincing,

"Of course not, why should there be? The Major is following orders."

"It seems to be taking longer than I would have expected."

"He has a lot to do, your precious Cullens aren't the only targets on his list dear brother."

"Oh really? Are you using him to clear away up all troublemakers then?"

"Some, Aro, some yes, but as soon as we have word that he has killed the Cullens we will be sure to inform you."

"Thank you, Marcus, I thought perhaps you would although it is such a pity, Carlisle was one of us once and now..."

Caius did not allow me to finish, his hatred for Carlisle flashing in his eyes as he spoke.

"And now he has become a danger, consorting closely with humans not to mention his coven which is much too large to be safe."

"Of course, how silly of me, a coven of six must be terribly threatening to you both."

The hiss of anger from the two of them as I turned my back and left brought a grin to my face, how hard they were struggling to hide the fact they had lost control of The Major. I wondered just how long it would be before they were forced to admit as much to me.

I waited a few moments knowing they wouldn't be able to contain their irritation and sure enough Caius only gave it long enough for me to walk the length of the corridor before the outburst came.

"He knows Marcus, did you see the amusement in his eyes?"

"Calm yourself, Caius, how could he possibly know? All the guards are accounted for, we know Felix is in Paris dealing with the nomads causing trouble there and he is the only one who might have aided Aro. Our dear brother is just trying to wind us up, besides The Major is back on track now, he's killed most of the Vânătoriand the majority of the Quileute pack, next on his list are the Cullens and he only just missed them at the airport."

"I feel better knowing we have eyes on the situation, at least Demetri is one hundred per cent loyal to the Volturi."

So, they had Demetri watching The Major, well that was interesting, Felix hadn't mentioned him but then he wouldn't feel the need to until they met up. Oh yes, brothers, Demetri is loyal to the Volturi but the Volturi as far as he is concerned starts and ends with me not the two pathetic excuses for brothers who tried to plot against me now. It would be easier for Felix to snatch the girl if he had help and Demetri was headed his way. My brothers would have been wiser remembering just who ran the Volturi before launching a coup that would ultimately see them dead or enslaved by Chelsea. She was my next call and then my dear wife and her friend, Athenadora. I wondered what they might think once they knew what Caius and Marcus had planned for their good friend Carlisle!

 **Felix**

I felt The Major's presence long before I saw him, even the wildlife was silent, cowering in the presence of such a predator and Garrett and Peter felt it and looked around warily. That's it little birds I thought fly away before the hawk swoops and tears you to pieces.

"He's here."

Carlisle's head snapped up eyes wide with apprehension,

"Are you sure?"

Garrett nodded while Peter took a few steps backward,

"You need to get out of here fast Carlisle, if he finds you with her he'll see you as a threat and kill you even more quickly. Come on."

Carlisle turned to look at the human,

"What about Charlie, come on, you have to leave with us."

He shook his head still holding the weed burner,

"I'm not leaving my daughter, besides I'm safe enough, she's protecting me."

"You don't know how long that will last Charlie. Please."

Her father was stubborn and in the end, Garrett grabbed Carlisle by the arm and wrenched him backward headed for the track out and Edward followed almost running in fear before they were out of sight. Peter hesitated to look at the girl but in the end, even he understood he would die if he stayed and he followed the others leaving the human and her father alone in the clearing.

I had a few minutes at most so I ran from my hiding place to the clearing to face the father with his weapon raised ready to defend himself.

"Who the hell are you?"

He was intimidated by my size, all humans were, but he stood his ground which was something I needed to change.

"The Major will kill you if he finds you here and I promise you that your weapons will not deter him, he's faced worse over the centuries."

"What about you? Have you come for my daughter too?"

"No, actually..."

He had moved a few feet forward to pick up the grenade that Carlisle had left on the ground giving me my opening,

"I came for you"

I snatched him up and ran as fast as I could away from the girl but in the opposite direction to the others knowing they would be The Majors' first concern. He would smell their scent and recognize them as quarry while I would hopefully be recognized merely as a Volturi observer, after all, he must know his actions would be monitored.

 **Charlie**

I cursed my own stupidity in moving beyond Bella's protection, now I was a prisoner and I had no idea who this man mountain was, could he be Volturi? He was a vampire, so not a hunter, and if he'd been a nomad surely he would have attacked on sight not held back until we were alone. I had given him a weapon to use against Bella if he was Volturi although didn't they want her dead?

Of course, killing her wasn't going to be easy, not with her gift, so they would use me to get to her. I had to think of a way out of this situation before they could do so, I refused to be the one responsible for her death even if I had to sacrifice my own to ensure she lived.

We ran at blinding speed for a good ten minutes before this giant of a man slowed and put me down holding me in place with one huge hand on my shoulder as he listened carefully. Was he afraid we might have been followed? Was he also afraid of The Major? If so that guy must really be something.

When he relaxed I knew we were on our own,

"He's not coming after us then?"

He turned his head slowly to look at me,

"If he was I'd rip your arms off and leave you as a distraction."

That brought back an image of Richard, mutilated and left as a distraction for The Major when we caught up with Bella and The Major before. Had this vampire been there? Was he the one responsible for Richard's death?

"What are you going to do with me? Who are you?"

"Felix Volturi and I intend using you to persuade your daughter to help Aro save the Cullens and show the brothers for the imbeciles they really are."

"But it was the Volturi who sent The Major after the Cullens and my daughter in the first place, wasn't it?"

"Two of the brothers did, not the third, not Aro. He wants to save the Cullens and Bella."

"Why? So he can use her like you use The Major?"

"Not exactly, The Major is a special case and only used in this way when there is no other alternative. Your daughter protected you back there and I'm sure she will be willing to do so again."

"And you think I'd allow that? I don't think so."

I pulled out the hunting knife I carried in my pocket and drew it swiftly across my wrist before he realized my intentions and stopped me. I knew spilling my blood in the presence of this vampire was a death sentence, in fact, I was banking on it.

However, I was to be disappointed, he merely cursed and grabbed my wrist squeezing it tightly enough to stop the flow of blood.

"That was a stupid move, stupid but brave."

He ripped the sleeve off my jacket without any effort at all and bound up my wrist.

"That'll have to hold for a little while but it means we need to leave the area quickly. The Major isn't the only animal to be drawn to the scent of blood. You could find yourself looking up into the eyes of a hungry wolf or grizzly bear if you were alone but as it is you just have a very angry vampire to concern yourself with."

"How can you resist the scent of fresh blood?"

I smiled down at him,

"I've been a vampire for centuries, I can resist anything and that my friend is what makes me so dangerous, come on."

He slung me over his shoulder keeping a grip on my bandaged wrist and began to run again. I realized I had no idea where he was taking me only that I would be leverage against Bella if I couldn't find another way to kill myself first.

 **Sorry there have been no updates for two weeks. I hope to get back to normal by next weekend. Love Jules xx**


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter Forty**

 **Jasper**

I was closing in on Carlisle and Edward Cullen fast and the scent trail told me his little party including Garrett the fighter had now grown with the presence of Captain Whitlock, not that they would save the Cullens. Yet as I drew closer I was distracted by the scent of my mate, drawn to her by a hunger more powerful than anything I had ever felt. I found myself forgetting about Carlisle and his pathetic group, they could wait but Bella could not.

The clearing where she lay curled up as if peacefully asleep was drenched in the scents of my prey and I felt my rage bubbling back up had they tried to hurt her? Moving closer to Bella instinct told me that she would be out for at least another day as my venom finished its work destroying her human cells. I could sense that it was her gift keeping her safe and knew she didn't need me. As I realized this I allowed my rage full rein and tested the air.

Carlisle and his pathetic group of losers had gone in one direction while the Volturi monitor and...the scent puzzled me for a few seconds, it was so much like Bella's. Of course, it had to be her father! So, the Volturi held him and I could hazard a guess why, if they knew of Bella's gift Aro Volturi would be keen to collect it and the best way to force her to work for them was to threaten her father. I had my orders to follow but I wasn't prepared to allow such a threat to my mate so I concentrated on following the Volturi scent, Carlisle could wait just a little longer to meet his end.

They moved swiftly but I was faster and soon began to catch up. Felix Volturi was a worthy opponent, very strong and experienced but he had a handicap, a human he needed to protect while I didn't care. If Bella's father died then he was no longer a factor that could be used against her, if he survived then I would need to find somewhere safe to stash him, I could not allow him to slow me down. Felix would be headed for an airport, he would want to get Bella's father beyond my reach and safely to Italy as quickly as he could but he had a problem. Somehow the human had been injured, he was bleeding although the scent was not as strong as it had been. The injury had to be significant to leave such a scent trail and would need medical intervention at some point. So, where would the Volturi guard take his injured human?

Their trail led me to a small clinic that appeared to be closed but then at this time of night that was to be expected, it was too small to offer twenty-four-hour facilities. So, Felix was going to patch the human up himself? Convenient for me, it gave me an enclosed space to trap my foe. I scouted around until I found the window he had forced to gain entry and slipped inside myself listening carefully for clues as to their whereabouts. Then I heard a murmur of voices and recognized the deep tones of Felix Volturi. From what I could hear it sounded like the human had attempted to force the Volturi to kill him by slashing his wrist, not a bad attempt and it would probably have worked with any other vampire.

I looked around and spotted an oxygen cylinder, picking it up I gauged it was about half full, enough for my purposes. I took a lighter from my pocket and making a heap of paper from a filing cabinet I set it alight then opened the regulator on the cylinder and from the window rolled it towards the flames. The room was ablaze in seconds, flames shooting through the open door into the corridor beyond fuelled by the cylinder before it exploded.

From the shadow of some bushes, I waited for Felix to appear with his prisoner knowing they would use the main doors as the quickest way out. He appeared carrying the human slung over his shoulder, a bandage unfurling behind them like a white snake as I pounced, knocking Felix to the ground and dragging the human from his grasp hurling him out of the way into the same bushes I had used for cover. Now it was just me and the huge Volturi guard and I smiled, this is what I was created for, to fight, to kill, and to be victorious.

Felix jumped back to his feet looking around for his human companion and when he couldn't see him he turned his attention to me.

"Major, I thought we might meet sooner or later but I'm not your enemy."

"Really? Then what exactly are you?"

"A friend."

I laughed, I had no friends, only enemies and this guard had painted a big target on his back when he kidnapped Bella's father.

"Sorry, that space is already taken"

I didn't wait for him to speak again just closed in for the kill. He was big and powerful and he had centuries of experience but so did I and unlike him, I didn't care about anything, least of all injury.

We grappled for some moments getting the measure of each other before I saw an opening, he favored his right side, moving in from there more often than his left and I perceived a pattern. I feinted left and allowed him to get a hold of my right arm and wrench it as if preparing to rip it from its socket but as the pain increased I sent it back his way along with a strong dose of lethargy which slowed him down just as I had planned. After this it didn't take long to disable him, breaking both legs with savage kicks and as I was about to move in for the kill I heard the human appear. In his hand, he held an incendiary grenade with the pin removed and as I watched he threw it in our direction. His throw wasn't as strong as it could have been, his wrist was partially bandaged and blood began to leak through as he pulled the gash open with the effort of throwing.

I grabbed Felix arm and pulled him in front of me dropping him over the grenade as it hit the floor and I was only just in time. I saw the flash as it exploded but the force was absorbed by Felix huge body which began to burn as he screamed in pain and fear. Leaving the guard to his fate I grabbed the human and throwing him over my own shoulder I ran back the way I had come, back towards the trail of the Cullens. The scent of fresh blood made my throat burn savagely but I pushed it to the back of my mind, I'd gotten possession of Bella's father without killing him and I wouldn't feed on him now.

 **Charlie**

I had quite literally jumped from the frying pan into the fire and now I was a prisoner of the creature other monsters were afraid of, The Major, and I had no idea what he intended doing with me but I guess it couldn't be any worse than the Volturi had planned. He was in love with my daughter so he was hardly going to kill me, now was he?

We stopped a few miles from the clinic and he dropped me to the ground giving me a few more bruises to add to those I'd picked up earlier when he threw me into the bushes.

"Trying suicide by vampire was a brave choice, if a stupid one, Chief Swan."

"Yeah well, I've heard that before and I ran out of options. So, what are you going to do with me?"

"I should just kill you, it would save me the bother of trying to keep you safe."

"But Bella wouldn't like it."

He turned black menacing eyes towards me,

"Bella would never know, after all, I could have found you after Felix finished draining your blood."

I hesitated, he was right of course and he didn't seem to care much about anything right now.

As he turned again as if he'd heard something I tried to run but I was too stiff, sore, and weak from loss of blood. I hadn't realized how good a job I'd done of slashing my wrist until I saw the amount of blood that soaked my clothing and the ground around me.

A strong hand grabbed me by the collar and I found myself face to face with him, our noses almost touching,

"Don't tempt me to say the hell with it, snap your neck, and feed on you."

There was no bravado or threat just a statement of what would happen if I gave him any trouble.

"Come on and don't hold me up."

He started to walk and I tried to keep up but it was impossible, he moved much too quickly and I found myself over his shoulder once more but we didn't go far before he dropped me.

"Stay there, if I have to hunt for you I'll kill you."

I stayed exactly where I was, too weak and sore to make a run for it as he disappeared from view without a sound.

I wasn't alone for long but it wasn't The Major who came for me, it was Peter Whitlock.

"So, you survived, I'm shocked but he obviously decided to show you mercy which is more than he'll show the others when he catches up with them."

"What happened? Why did you come back? I'd have thought you'd have kept running."

"Well, I guess I'm just old fashioned like that. You don't desert a friend however much he wants to kill you and The Major was my friend until the Volturi hijacked his brain. Get up."

I staggered to my feet,

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere you will be out of harm's way until we can get this mess sorted out."

"But he'll come back for me and then he'll find you too."

"He doesn't need to look, he knows exactly where to find me, watching his back as always."

I stared at him,

"You're helping him? But I thought he acted alone and you were running earlier."

"I know if he's gonna fight this he'll need help, and besides Bella, I'm all he has. He knew I was close by, he knew I'd find you and get you out of the way."

"And if you hadn't? If he'd been wrong?"

"Then I guess you'd be dead. Now, no more questions, we need to move, it won't be long till the Volturi come snooping."

"Felix is dead, he won't be coming, The Major killed him."

"Felix is just one of hundreds, don't think you're out of the woods yet, they'll be even more keen to catch you now, you're the only leverage they have left. They'll know by now they can't lay hands on your daughter. So, let's move it."

He set a fast pace and I struggled but I managed to keep him in sight wondering all the time why someone like Peter and someone like my daughter found themselves helping the monster who was trying to kill so many.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter Forty One**

 **Bella**

When I woke up I had no idea where I was or, what was even more frightening, who I was. My surroundings were unfamiliar and my mind was whirling, too many new sensations. There were too many unfamiliar sounds and scents and the world around me was too bright, too clear. I touched my face and it felt strange, then looking around me I saw the devastation, trees uprooted, boulders scattered around as if they had been tossed by a tornado or hurled by a giant of fairy tales. I had to see myself, to reassure myself that I was still me, however strange that may sound.

I ran towards the sound of running water and knelt down at the edge of a stream staring at my reflection in relief, it was my face, or was it?

I looked so pale and my eyes were somehow wrong, I was far more beautiful than I remembered so what had happened to me? Had I been sick? Or had I been involved in whatever had caused all the destruction back at the clearing? I tried to remember, thinking hard, but then I became aware of a terrible searing sensation in my throat and a hunger that drove me to get up and look around.

I needed to drink, to quench this agonizing thirst and scooped up a handful of water swallowing some down but it tasted all wrong and did nothing to quench the burning sensation, so what would?

Something terrible had happened to me but I couldn't remember what, only that I was different. Then I noticed movement out of the corner of my eye, a small deer stepped out from the trees and approached the stream warily, afraid of predators who would wait here knowing she had to come here to drink eventually. I kept very still watching the beautiful creature as she bowed her head to the water and my eyes fixed on her slender neck. I could hear the blood pumping around her body and see the pulse beneath her skin. Suddenly instinct took over and the next thing I knew I was holding her dead body close, sucking the last dregs of warm blood from her.

Horrified I dropped the carcass and wiped the blood from my lips feeling sick but it had made the terrible burning more bearable and with that, the memories came flooding back. At first, they were just flashes, Charlie, Edward, friends from school, but then I gasped as I recognized the face of my mother, the woman who had abandoned me as a baby only to return a short while ago to hunt down...

Oh God! Jasper! His face filled my mind pushing everything else from it as I remembered what had happened to him and how I was the only one who could save him from his fate. I had to find him quickly before he was forced to kill anyone else but how was I going to do that? Of course, I was a vampire too now, that's why the world seemed so strange. He had changed me and something had forced him to leave me knowing somehow that I would be safe...

My gift, that's what had caused the devastation back there, of course, I must have projected it around me unconsciously to keep me safe while I was changing. I just hoped I hadn't hurt Jasper, after all, I had vague memories, only half-formed, of others around me, the guy I had seen before, the one Jasper was going to kill, his friend, and maybe Carlisle, Edward, a stranger or possibly more than one I couldn't tell and one other, my dad! He had been in danger, I thought I had shielded him from it but that was fuzzy too. So where were they all now?

I decided the best way forward was to go back to the last place I knew they had been and found myself running so fast it was exhilarating, especially as I knew somehow that I would never trip or fall, not now I could see everything so clearly and my reflexes were in overdrive. I stopped in the center of the clearing and closed my eyes concentrating on sifting through the many scents I was picking up. I isolated my father's scent and discovered which direction he had taken only to discover he hadn't been alone, there was a strange vampire with him.

I heard a snarl and opened my eyes expecting to see a wolf or mountain lion but the clearing was deserted except for me. The noise I heard had come from within me, a sign of my anger at the vampire who had taken my dad because I knew this wasn't good. Then I caught Jasper's scent which was going in another direction completely and I found myself torn. Who should I follow? My dad could well be dead by now or perhaps I would be in time to save him but there was Jasper to consider, he was in trouble and without my help, the compulsion to kill was sure to overwhelm him and that risked him destroying his friends and ultimately his very existence. There was really no contest, I set off after Jasper sure of my ability to track him down.

I went fast but as I ran the burning sensation in my throat became overwhelming once more, was this the kind of feeling vampires had to contend with constantly? It would drive me mad if I didn't quench it soon and I was forced to make a side trip to hunt down an animal, the bigger the better, I figured the more blood I could consume the longer my thirst would be satiated and then I could concentrate on finding my mate.

I was lucky this time in that I almost ran straight into a bear with two cubs and then I hesitated. I didn't want to leave the cubs without a mother but my thirst was driving me mad so I braced myself to take her anyway when a huge male came crashing through the trees and launched an attack. I had no qualms about killing and draining this prey and felt so much better afterward although I still felt guilty at killing to feed. I prayed I wouldn't run into a human in the forest because I wasn't sure I would have enough self-control to stop myself from attacking and killing them, another good reason not to chase after my dad.

I became confused when Jasper changed course, why did he do that when Carlisle and his friends had continued without deviation? Then I smelled it again, a faint trace of my father's scent and he was still in the company of the strange vampire. Had Jasper gone after one or both of them? I felt a faint horror but my emotions were so mixed up it soon faded and I concentrated on following this new scent trail.

At the end of it was a building on fire and humans fighting the fire, too many humans for me to feel safe. I instinctively knew that the fire was connected to Jasper and fell back slightly to consider what had happened. I could smell stale blood, Charlie's blood but knew he was still alive though injured and as I circled the area I came across a new trail and this time Charlie was with Jasper and there was no sign of the strange vampire, Jasper had killed him, I just knew it. I was close now and I ran on eager to see my mate again but then the trail became confused once more as another scent appeared and I recognized it as the vampire I had saved, Jasper's friend, and now he and Charlie were together and Jasper was alone again.

Not stopping to wonder what all this meant I followed Jasper's trail moving faster, more eager to see him with every passing moment. It felt as if there were a fine filament stretching between the two of us, like a fishing line attached at both ends and it was reeling me in. The closer I got the most excited I became to see him again and the faster I moved my surroundings merely a blur now.

As I felt myself closing in I slowed suddenly unsure and eventually halted to check my surroundings. I was close to a road but with nightfall, the volume of traffic had slowed and I heard only an occasional vehicle passing by. I sensed there were others around, not only Jasper but other vampires and with a sinking feeling, I understood he had caught up with Carlisle and Edward along with another vampire whose scent I recognized although I couldn't put a name to him.

I approached closer only to hear Edward begging for his life, his voice filled with terror while Carlisle tried to reason with Jasper. Didn't he know that my mate was beyond reasoning with while under this compulsion? The stranger lay decapitated on the ground but of course, he wasn't dead, not yet, but I could see the others were about to join him and then I knew Jasper would set their decapitated bodies alight and end them all.

I was the only one who could stop Jasper now but I hesitated, a part of me wanted to see him in action, watch the warrior take down his enemies but then I saw Edward's terrified expression and knew I couldn't allow Jasper to kill them. If he did so he would never forgive himself and that would destroy him as completely as the Volturi intended. I had never consciously directed my gift to protect anyone and I wasn't sure quite what to do, it wasn't as if I could just wave a magic wand so I closed my eyes and tried to visualise it as a protective bubble then I had to gauge how large an area I could cover and feared I might not be able to protect all of them.

It suddenly occurred to me that I didn't have to, all I needed to do was to cover Jasper, to free him from the mad compulsion to kill. I just hoped this would work because as I visualized it covering him like a second skin he made his move flying at Edward who didn't move, appearing frozen to the spot. Hadn't he heard Jasper's intentions? Or was he just too terrified to run?

There was a terrible crash as the two collided and I closed my eyes concentrating on holding the bubble in place but I heard Edward scream and opened them again. He lay on the ground one arm missing and with a huge chunk of his throat torn open. I had failed, my gift wasn't working, but why? Jasper was approaching Carlisle who stood rooted to the spot still talking quietly and calmly as death approached but then Jasper hesitated to look around and I saw his enraged eyes begin to clear, he was free of the compulsion.

"Jasper."

Hearing my voice he turned and confusion clouded his face but then he recognized me and relief flooded his expression.

"Bella"

He ran to me and lifted me from my feet holding me close and breathing deeply of my scent to calm himself further.

I locked eyes with Carlisle and mouthed an order,

"Go while you are still safe. Take the others and move, now."

He understood immediately and ran to Edward's side pushing his son's torn throat back into place and hauling him to his feet then both of them helped Garrett up and while he held his head on the ragged stump of his neck as it fused they led him slowly away. Not until they were out of sight did I dare to think they were safe and then I allowed myself to concentrate on my mate who was shaking with emotion as he realized what he had so nearly done.


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter Forty Two**

 **Charlie**

I had no idea what was happening but at least this vampire didn't want me dead, not at the moment anyway.

"How long will it be until my daughter wakes up?"

He shrugged,

"Normally it takes about three days give or take a few hours but your daughter is something else. Let's just hope when she wakes up her gift still works its magic on The Major."

"You've seen it in action?"

Crimson eyes appeared to bore into my head,

"Yeah, she saved my life and that's the main reason I kept you alive although it would probably be better for all concerned if I just ended you right now."

"You mean the Volturi couldn't use me as leverage against Bella if I'm dead."

"The Volturi? Maybe, but I'm more concerned about the remaining hunter. I think you know her."

I was taken aback at this reference to Renee,

"But she's out of the picture now, safe with the Quileutes, she's no threat any longer."

He laughed and the sound of it echoed through my head cold and bitter,

"She's _Vânători_ and they never give up so if she can use your daughter to lure the Major into a trap she will do so, don't be deceived, she's the most determined and ruthless of them all."

I wanted to refute that but remembering her face when I last spoke to her and her stated intention to kill Bella along with all the other vampires stopped me.

"Is she still in Forks?"

"Don't know for sure but I doubt it. She'll have polished her wooden stakes and be back on the trail if her reputation is anything to go by."

This talk of Renee made me uneasy and I changed the subject,

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere safe where no one can get you."

"And then?"

He shrugged,

"I've done what I could for The Major, he wanted you out of the picture but not dead, that's why he left you behind. I'll get back on his trail then."

"But he tried to kill you, aren't you afraid he'll do it again?"

"He's my friend, what you see is what the Volturi brothers have done to him. I'm hoping your daughter can protect him from them because if she can then I have a sneaky suspicion that we might be taking a trip to Italy."

I frowned,

"You'll take the fight to them? Surely with all their resources, you wouldn't stand a chance, you'd be walking into death."

This time his smile was more genuine,

"If you believe that you haven't been paying attention, Charlie Swan. The Major and I have taken on worse except of course for the gifted Volturi but with Bella's gift we won't need to worry about them."

We continued moving but as we went Peter explained about the Volturi's gifted vampires and my blood ran cold, was Bella powerful enough to stop them being used? Or would she die alongside The Major and this taciturn vampire?

When we finally stopped at the road there was a car waiting, a woman in the driver's seat and when she saw us she got out and ran to him, throwing her arms around him and hugging him in relief.

"Peter! I was beginning to worry."

"He's still in there somewhere Charlotte, if he wasn't then Bella's father would already be dead."

She nodded,

"Thank God for that. Darius is waiting, I'll drop Charlie off and find my way back to you."

Peter nodded then turned and ran without a backward glance or word of farewell to either of us but the woman held out a hand,

"Hello Charlie, I'm Charlotte, Peter's wife. I'm going to take you to someone who will keep you safe, just try not to upset him please."

"Upset him? Why?"

"Let's just say Peter is a pussy cat compared to Darius, he's only agreed to help because he knows it will be a punch in the eye for Caius Volturi."

"Caius Volturi?"

"Yes, one of the three that rule our world and the worst by far, he lives by his own rules and those rules run roughshod over everyone else when he's not being tempered by Aro and for now it seems he has pulled it off, being in charge I mean. Anyway come on, I don't have time to waste."

We drove for an hour and pulled in behind a black panel van with heavily tinted windows and Charlotte got out.

"Come on Charlie, time to meet your babysitter."

I felt like telling her to go screw herself but there was no point, she was stronger and faster than me besides I wanted to hear more about these three rulers and I guessed my best option was to go along with this plan to keep me safe.

Standing in the shadows at the front of the van was a man also dressed all in black and wearing wrap around darkly tinted sunglasses. He nodded to Charlotte then turned in my direction.

"I'm doing this because it serves to annoy the hell out of the Volturi, that's it so you keep quiet and don't cause me any trouble and we'll get along but if you cause me any trouble Charles Swan I promise you I will kill you."

His voice was as bleak as his outfit and there was no expression on his face as he pulled back the sliding door of the van to reveal an interior that looked like something out of Star Wars! There were banks of computer screens all working along with the biggest tower I had ever seen and other electronic gadgets I couldn't even identify.

"Get in and put your belt on, we need to go."

I did as instructed listening in and I heard him tell Charlotte where Peter and The Major were, it seemed they were both stationary for now.

"The girl is with him and I think her gift is shielding him again but Caius and Marcus are sending out Jane, Alec, Santiago and several of the guard to try and nullify it. If they can isolate her from The Major then there's no hope left for the Cullens or the remaining hunters so you'd better hope they fail. I'll keep in touch."

The door slid shut and there was silence except for the whir of computer fans and soft beeping then the engine started and we moved off. I really hoped I wasn't going to be trapped here in the back of this van for too long. I wanted to talk to Darius, see if I could find out more about the Volturi and their plans for my daughter if they managed to isolate her from The Major. God, now I was calling him by that name as if he were a robot rather than a man...well, vampire.

We drove for about an hour and a half and I spent the time thinking about Bella, Renee, and everything I had learned. I still found it difficult to believe my world was inhabited by so many creatures about whom I still knew almost nothing and marveled at the way they had kept their presence a secret from us humans over the centuries.

When the van finally stopped I was relieved although the knowledge I was a virtual prisoner of a vampire who really wasn't interested in keeping me safe except as revenge on his enemies wasn't particularly comforting but I was still alive so chalk one up for the lone human!

The door slid open and Darius joined me gesturing for me to move up so he could sit at the computer keyboard. His fingers flashed over the keys so fast they were a blur and then I started. On one of the screens was what looked like Google Earth although I could see by the date and time stamp changing at the bottom corner that we were watching the area in real time.

"There you are, I wondered how long it would be before they got impatient and sent you out."

I peered closer until I could see what he was referring too, a small cluster of figures all dressed in black moving slowly towards a cabin, no not just any cabin, it was the one Bella had partially destroyed with her gift.

"Who are they?"

He answered without taking his eyes from the screen,

"Volturi guards, I told you Marcus and Caius are getting worried, after all when you lose control of a deadly weapon you start wondering if it might be turned on you eventually."

"You make The Major sound like a Patriot missile."

"He is now and his programming is being screwed up by your daughter's gift which is worrying them,"

"So what will they do?"

"Initially my guess is that they will try to find Bella and kill her but once they discover she is now a vampire I guess they'll report back for new orders."

"Which will be?"

Only then did he turn to me, eyes black as night,

"To kill both The Major and Bella. Better a weapon as powerful as he be destroyed than have to face it yourself but they don't stand a chance alone."

"You mean they'll send reinforcements."

"Better than that..."

His smile made me feel cold to the bone,

"I'm banking on Caius coming to oversee things himself."

"So, what's with you and this Caius? I thought the Volturi were supposed to be the rulers of your world."

"They are but when the rulers become corrupt its time for new leadership and I've waited a long time for the chance to get my hands on Caius Volturi."

I could tell there was a dark tale hidden behind those words but before I could ask any more questions he picked up his cell phone and began talking.

"Peter, have you caught up with them yet?"

"Yeah but I'm staying back, he's too unpredictable to get close. What's happening?"

"The guards are on his trail along with Jane and Alec which makes me wonder where Demetri fits into this, why haven't they sent him to track The Major down? It would be much faster. Is he still hunting Carlisle?"

"Nope, not for now. Bella has him eating out of her hand which is good news for the rest of us. What do you want me to do?"

"Stay close, I'll keep you up to date with the Volturi's movements."

He put the phone down and turned back to me.

"I guess you'll be needing to eat and drink so I'll stop at the next restaurant but don't try anything funny, I don't particularly care about your life and I'll kill you if you cause me any trouble, understand?"

"Yeah, you made your position clear and as long as you are trying to keep my daughter safe I'm not going to rock the boat."

"Good, then we understand each other."

He got out and slid the door shut and within seconds we were on the road again. The screen was still on and I watched as the scenery below changed until the figures were lost to view, somehow Darius had a way of controlling a real-time spy satellite. These vampires weren't the old fashioned type of horror stories not by a long way.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter Forty Three**

 **Carlisle**

When my phone rang I wondered who it might be, we were still running but had no idea where Jasper was, if he was hunting us once more or if he had taken off after Bella. I felt guilty about her fate, she hadn't asked for any of this and if we hadn't decided to make Forks our home she would be safe living her life as a human with no idea we existed.

"Carlisle?"

"Demetri? I didn't know you had this number."

"Aro gave it to me, I have bad news for you, Felix is dead, The Major got to him."

Edward and Garrett both stared at me, this was bad, Felix had been our contact with Aro and now he was gone.

"You're safe for now, The Major and Bella are together and he's not hunting but I suggest you keep moving as we have no idea if her gift will be strong enough to hold his compulsion at bay for long."

"What about Caius and Marcus? They must know something has gone wrong with their plan by now surely?"

"They do, they've sent Jane and Alec along with some of the guard to hunt him down and kill the girl if they can. Personally, I doubt they are strong enough, I've never seen a gift as powerful as hers, so long as she can control it and that's the big question right now."

"Thank you for telling us, we'll keep moving until we hear from you again and please, thank Aro for the warnings."

 **Demetri**

I had found a good vantage point to watch The Major, unfortunately, it was already occupied by his friend Captain Whitlock who wasn't enamored of the Volturi and it took me some talking to convince him we were on the same side and it would not be in his best interests to attempt to kill me.

"Aro wants The Major alive, the Cullens too and the girl. It was never his intention to activate him, that was down to Caius and Marcus."

"Yeah well, it's nice to know the scorpions are fighting among themselves for a change but what's your role in all this?"

"To keep Carlisle informed so he can stay one step ahead of The Major and watch to see if the girl can keep The Major from acting on his orders."

"And if she can't?"

I shrugged,

"Then I guess the vampire world is going to be short a few good men and The Major will cease to be himself, yet again."

Peter stared at me as this sunk in,

"You've seen this before, haven't you? The Major I mean."

"Yes, several times over the centuries and each time I have been against using him but as you know I don't have a vote on the ruling council."

"Is it true it wipes his memory?"

"Yes, it does but more than that it erases a little more of the man that he was. I knew him when he was a warrior, Felix did too, that's why we sided with Aro over this. He was a good man, an excellent warrior but he understood the difference between right and wrong, he still does to an extent but each reincarnation we noticed the change, he became a little less human and a little more the monster he was programmed to become. This girl may be his last chance Captain, and we didn't want him destroyed so you see, we are fighting on the same side in this particular battle."

I knew Peter was still suspicious but when his mate Charlotte joined us she seemed to understand what I was saying and persuaded him that we should work together.

"So if the psycho twins turn up with their mini-army we can bank on you standing beside us?"

"For all the good it will do if Bella can't protect us, she has to understand what is at stake and we need to contact her and The Major before the others get here. Care to draw straws?"

It was said tongue in cheek, I knew Peter didn't, he still didn't trust me and decided we should go together leaving Charlotte here to try again or at least warn the rest if we both ended up dead!

We watched for some hours as The Major appeared calm and controlled, the girl was using her gift well, but was it on a conscious level or purely subconscious?

"I guess there's only one way to find out, let's pay them a visit, shall we? Or are you joining the stand-backs?"

"The what?"

"Those who stand back while others do all the fucking dangerous work."

I smiled,

"I see, no I think I'll join you."

He nodded with a snort and we made our way carefully through the trees to the place where they had set up camp and waited just within sight, both of us ready if he decided to attack when he saw us but hopefully giving him enough time to choose not to act on instinct alone.

It was Bella who saw us first, he had his back to us but he picked up on her emotions and whirled round dropping into a crouch, ready to attack and we tensed,

"Fuck, I knew consorting with the Volturi was gonna get me killed."

Bella put a hand on his shoulder and The Major stood up slowly and waited to stare at us,

"I think he wants us to make the first move, now he might just recognize me as a friend so let me approach first."

I nodded walking a few yards back from Peter and trying very hard not to appear threatening but aware the girl standing beside The Major held our lives in her hands.

 **Bella**

Something told me that these two men meant us no harm and I soothed Jasper to allow them to approach but I knew one false move and they would die, his hold on his true self had weakened considerably since I had been away from him and I feared even my gift might not be enough to help him for much longer but that didn't mean I would desert him, how could I? He was my mate and I loved him above everyone. What I wanted to do more than anything else was to destroy the men who had turned him into this puppet bent on destroying everything he had ever loved and eventually himself.

When they were a hundred feet away I signaled for them to stop,

"That's far enough, what do you want?"

Jasper's shoulder was rigid with tension beneath my hand but he was under control and listening.

"We haven't come to fight, we want to help The Major."

He laughed, a cold soulless sound that affected each one of us,

"Help me? And just how will you do that? One of the men who turned me into this creature of destruction stands at your shoulder Peter Whitlock."

So, the guy with Peter was Volturi!

He moved very slightly so he could face Jasper and my mate growled menacingly.

"You know what I am but not what I want Major. Not all the Volturi brothers are your enemy, Aro never wanted you used like this, not again and certainly not to kill his friends or your mate. It was Marcus and Caius who set you on this path, they are the ones you should be looking to destroy."

"So, now Aro wants me to kill his brothers leaving him free to control our world as King?"

"No, he simply wants the status quo back, but the other two must die if you are to be saved."

"Saved? As what? I know what you did to me, I know who I really am, so why should I not rip you to pieces now then storm Volterra and slaughter the rest of the Volturi one by one?"

"That would depend on the answer to one simple question, do you want to continue as The Major or have your memories erased and start over once more with a clean slate but without Bella?"

I jumped in here,

"Are you saying there's a way to save Jasper from this curse?"

The stranger nodded,

"Yes, this time there may be. The compulsion that turns him into a weapon was forced on him many centuries ago and the Volturi made good use of him but Aro noticed that with each...let's call it reincarnation, the man faded a little, leaving more of the weapon in his place. That's why he hasn't been used in so long, Aro did not want to destroy the man, he actually respected The Major. He has had many names and many faces over the centuries but the essence of that first warrior has survived...so far."

"So, how do we save him?"

"We don't, but you can. Aro always suspected that if the warrior found his mate it night be possible for him to break the curse placed upon him although he never admitted as much to the others."

"What do I have to do?"

He smiled and nodded at Jasper who still stood growling quietly in his chest at my side,

"You're already doing it, you can calm the savage beast which means he can think for himself, he's already shown that by sparing your father when he should have killed him along with Felix who by the way, was also on our side but that's irrelevant now. The only way to break the curse or compulsion, whatever you choose to call it is to kill the people who activated it."

I frowned,

"It's as simple as that?"

"Not simple, remember the warrior is activated to kill certain people and when they are dead he too ceases to be the man he was. He could never break the compulsion because by doing as ordered he ensured his own annihilation too. In short, he could never win, until that is he gained control of himself while under the curse and that he could only achieve by finding his mate and recognizing her while activated. You are his mate and so long as you can help him control his craving to finish his work he can take out his masters."

It sounded plausible enough but could we trust this stranger who was after all one of the enemy himself?

Jasper turned cold dead eyes on Peter and for a second I caught a glimpse of recognition in them giving me hope.

"What about you? Do you believe Demetri, Captain? Should I kill the brothers on his word alone?"

Peter shrugged,

"Honestly? I don't know but it seems your only hope of keeping your identity and if it doesn't work what have you got to lose?"

"My life, control..."

"You don't have any Major, not right now, only Bella has that and if she's willing to believe this might work isn't it worth a shot? I don't want to lose my friend but I can't stand by and watch while he's wound up like a clockwork soldier and turned on his friends, on anyone who wants to help him. I don't see you have a choice."

A woman stepped out of the trees to join the two men, I had been aware of her presence and wondered what her role in all this was and now I would find out.

"Major, we can't watch you destroy yourself and you have a chance with Bella, please listen to Demetri, we'll go with you to Volterra and fight at your side if you'll let us."

I felt the shift in his emotions, she had reached him where the other two had not and I felt a faint stirring of jealousy.

"You'll die, you know that Charlotte."

It was a statement spoken in cold certainty and I waited for her reply.

"If that's what it takes then so be it. You risked your life when you helped us escape from Maria, should we be willing to do any less for you?"

Now I understood just who these people were and why Peter had stayed around when it was so dangerous for him to do so. I suddenly felt much easier in my mind and Jasper seemed to relax a little too.

"You should leave now, while you still can. You understand there are no guarantees, that Bella might fail at any moment and if she does I will go through you and anyone else who stands between me and accomplishing my orders."

"We're not going anywhere so if you plan on doing anything count us in, Major."

Jazz turned his attention back to Demetri,

"I guess you should tell your master to expect visitors in Volterra very soon."

Demetri smiled in relief,

"He'll be pleased to hear it, he might even offer his help to get you there."

Jazz ignored his reply, he was grasping my hand tightly and I knew he was more afraid of failing than ever now he had so many people relying on him but I knew that between us we could overcome this and free him from the curse. If that cure was a permanent one none of us knew and I wasn't even sure Aro did but anything was better than losing my mate to this terrible curse.


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter Forty Four**

 **Renee**

I cursed myself for my former weakness but seeing Richard killed like that had been so horrific, I wish I were stronger but using my gift so much had put a terrible strain on my body and mind. We had always planned a life together some day although we both knew it could never be a peaceful one, our task remained to kill the vampires whenever we got a chance. Now he was gone and I had no idea where Charlie or Bella were or even if they were still alive. I had pulled myself together with Sue's help and that's when I heard the news that Johnny H had seen and spoken to Charlie and he refused to help us take down The Major coward that he is. I pleaded and insisted he give me some warriors but he flatly refused and I knew I was alone but that didn't mean I was defeated, far from it. The only thing I had left in this world now was revenge, for Richards death, for my daughter's corruption and for Charlie who might even now be lying dead somewhere since no one had heard from him in days.

All I needed was a weapon, some leverage to draw Bella to me because where she went he was sure to follow and I needed to get him close enough to use deadly force. I still had some of the incendiary grenades hidden away and he might be a great warrior but he would still burn like every other vampire we had stood against and killed.

It was Sue who gave me the idea when she told me how close Leah and Bella had been until her daughter left after being betrayed by Sam Uley and her own cousin, these wolves were no better than the vampires with their imprints that were just an excuse to break a girls heart and not have to apologise. Sue even told me where Leah was living now and as soon as I was able to get my hands on some transport I thanked the Quileute elders, I might just need them again in the future and it paid to keep some friends on side, and left telling them I was returning to the last few members of my group. They weren't to know that there was only me left now, all the others were dead and there were no others to take their places.

I drove straight to the village Leah Clearwater now called home only to find she had moved off the reservation and into town along with a boyfriend, so Sue didn't know everything about her daughter, she hadn't even mentioned there was a boyfriend. Mona gave me Leah's new address and promised not to call her as I wanted my arrival to be a surprise. She knew me, I'd been to their village once before with Richard and the others and knew I was a friend of the Clearwater family so she wasn't at all suspicious of my motives especially when I told her I had just come from Leah's mom. Of course, I had to stay to dinner and make up some story about our group having a vacation after finishing a very satisfying hunt all of which she accepted as the truth. I'd become quite adept at lying convincingly over the years.

It was evening by the time I got away but this was the best time to find Leah in as she was attending college during the day, something my own daughter should have been doing! Mona also told me that Leah's boyfriend Corey worked evenings at a bar so Leah was usually home doing her coursework during the week, the perfect opportunity for me although I would have used my gift on the pair of them if necessary, I would do anything necessary to get my hands on Leah and hang her out as bait to lure in that filthy vampire and my daughter and kill them both if I had to die myself in the process.

Leah was suspicious when I told her I had come from her mother who had been taken ill explaining I was a friend of the family who had offered to give her the news as I was going to be passing close by the village.

"Your dad is at the hospital with her and they didn't want to upset you with a phone call until they had some news so I said I'd let you know and stay with you until they had more information, I was surprised when Mona told me you'd moved out, Your parents don't know I take it?"

She ignored this question although I saw a flush rise up her throat, she was still a little unsure of me but then I saw her make the decision and knew I was going to get into the apartment.

"Come in, I'll ring the clinic straight away and tell my dad you arrived."

As she turned to lead the way through to the lounge I hit her on the head with a bag of dimes hard enough to knock her out. It was less stressful for me than using my gift and I wanted to preserve as much strength as possible for the hunt. She bled a little from a cut on the back of her head but that was unimportant, far more of a problem was getting her out to the trunk of my car, one Billy Black had given me which Jake had been working on in his spare time. It was old and ugly, covered in rust and primer, but mechanically sound and that's what mattered to me. Luckily her apartment was on the ground floor and it was dark so I slung her limp arm over my shoulder and more or less dragged her to the car waiting until I was sure there was no one around before tipping her into the trunk and driving off. Once I was clear of town I would stop, tie her hands and feet to ensure she caused me no trouble and contact my one remaining ally, a man who had helped us before when Nan was unable to, with luck he would be able to track The Major down and where he was, my daughter would be close by.

 **Leah**

I had no idea what had happened or where I was when I woke up in the dark except that I appeared to be in a vehicle or at least in the trunk of one! My head was splitting and I felt sick but I was unable to move because there was little room in here and my hands and feet were tied behind me with a loop of rope running between the two. As the vehicle went over a particularly rough patch of road I was jerked upwards and hit my already sore head on the underside of the trunk lid causing me to black out again.

When I next came to I was in a motel room laying on the bed still tied up but at least I could now see and breath more easily. There were sounds coming from the bathroom, running water and I realized just how thirsty I was. My mouth tasted of vomit and I could see it had stained the front of my sweater, I must have thrown up while in the trunk and thanked my lucky stars my abductor hadn't gagged me or I could well have choked to death.

As the bathroom door began to open I tensed not knowing who to expect but when I saw the woman who appeared I remembered the story about my mom being taken ill. She had known enough to allay my suspicions but who was she and what did she want with me? My parents had no money so it wasn't a kidnap for ransom. She didn't smile, just carried on drying her hair as she walked to the chair across from the bed.

"So, you're awake. Tell me, Leah, why are daughter's always so wilful and stubborn? Do you think your mother would approve of you shacked up with some lowlife who works in a bar?"

I ignored her question, I had too many of my own,

"Who are you? How did you get Mona to give you my address? Is she safe? You haven't hurt her, have you? What do you want?"

She put up a hand scowling and I stopped speaking afraid she was going to hit me.

"Good, at least you have a little common sense, keep quiet and you'll find out exactly why you are here soon enough. As for Mona, I assure you she is quite well, or she was when I left her after dinner. I'm not a bad person Leah and you'll understand that when you find out just why I have taken you away from your nice cozy little home."

She smiled seeing my incredulity,

"Oh yes, she invited me for dinner, we had quite a chat, you see Mona and I are old friends. Your mother and I too, I was telling the truth when I said I'd come from Forks although as far as I know your mother is quite well. It's a shame you weren't so considerate of her, she doesn't know where you are living now or about Corey does she? Keeping secrets, well, I suppose it's the norm these days. Girls just don't care about their parent's feelings. My own daughter is equally as wilful and that's where you come in. You are going to help me trap her, and her beast of a companion."

"I don't know who you are, I don't know who you mean and I certainly am not going to help you do anything, you're crazy."

It was the wrong thing to say, she leaped from the chair and grabbed me by the sweater with one hand slapping me hard with the other so my head snapped around to hit the headboard and I groaned seeing stars yet again.

"Shut your mouth girl, you'll do exactly as I want when I want or I'll kill not only you but your mother too and don't doubt me, I'm a desperate woman and there are no lengths I will not go to in order to free my daughter and kill the monster she's with."

I opened my mouth to ask why she thought her daughter would be interested in me or anything I had to say when I decided better of it. My head was hurting so badly now I doubted I could string a sentence together, instead, I slumped back and closed my eyes wishing I was back home safe in Corey's arms instead of here with this madwoman.

I must have passed out because the next thing I remembered was hearing the woman's voice talking to someone I couldn't hear, then it dawned on me of course, she was on the phone! I opened my eyes frightened when I could see two of everything and even blinking didn't cure it. I could see her talking on her cell phone at the window and tried to concentrate on the conversation but it was drowned out by the loud ringing in my ears, I must be concussed from that last blow to the head.

I lifted my hands which were now bound before me and touched the side of my face which had impacted the headboard, it was tender and my eye and cheek both felt puffy and swollen. Reaching back I could feel a lump on the back of my head with a deep gash at its center, the bitch must have hit me over the head to knock me out at my apartment.

She thrust her phone back in the pocket of her jeans and turned to look at me.

"Hungry?"

"I need a doctor, I think I have a concussion."

"You'll survive. We're leaving soon so are you hungry? I've got some pain med's for your head."

The way she spoke she expected me to be grateful!

"Just a drink and can I wash up, I stink of vomit."

She shook her head,

"Blood and vomit, that should attract them quickly enough, but you can have a drink, here."

She put a plastic bottle of lukewarm soda in one hand and two tablets in the other leaving me to juggle with both but finally, I managed to take the tablets and get the top off the bottle to swallow them down but it left a bitter aftertaste in my mouth which wasn't much better than the vomit.

After a few swigs, she grabbed my arm,

"Right, come on we have to go. There isn't much time and I have to catch them before they leave the country. Ready to play your part, Leah?"

"I don't know what you are talking about or what you expect me to do."

She smiled unpleasantly and it sent shivers down my spine,

"Oh, you don't have to do anything really just be there and bleed a little. Your mother will thank me one day for getting rid of you if it comes to that, a selfish, thoughtless, little bitch just like my own daughter."

"Who? I don't even know your daughter."

As she turned those cold hostile eyes on me I realized I was wrong, I recognized something in her face, this was Renee Swan, Bella's absent mother!


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter Forty Five**

 **Renee**

It was time to move out, my contact had told me where my quarry was and luckily I wouldn't have to travel too far. I could have hit Leah again to subdue her but I decided to use my gift, I didn't want her dying on me after all dead bodies didn't bleed and I needed her blood for my trap. It had been easy to persuade her that I had changed my mind and was going to take her back, I untied her feet and even started to dial her mother and as she struggled off the bed and took a few tottering steps towards me I moved closer to the door. When she was as close as she was going to get, any closer and she might well try to attack me I hit her with my gift, just enough to enable me to steer her out to the car and lay her on the back seat before retying her feet and sending her to sleep completely. I couldn't risk her trying to escape while I was driving, not now I was so close to my goal.

She woke up after we arrived but was groggy enough that I had time to steer her over to a suitable tree and tie her securely to it before she could try to fight me.

"Don't do this please."

"I have no choice Leah, I need you to lure my daughter and her monster here so I can finish them."

"You can't kill Bella, she's your own flesh and blood."

I laughed,

"She was but no more. Bella is one of them now and the only way to save her is to kill her now shut up."

I took the small knife I always carried from my pocket and she tensed,

"Don't worry, I'm not going to kill you but I do need some of your blood to lure the vampires here."

She shook her head eyes wide with terror,

"No, please. They'll kill me, Bella will kill me and you'll be making your daughter a murderer."

"He already did that, I'm trying to save her."

I pulled up the sleeve of her sweater and slit her arm from wrist to elbow watching as the blood began to flow.

"Don't worry, it's not that deep, you'll survive."

"What are you going to do? They'll kill you too."

"I'm not afraid to die, my whole life has been precarious child and who knows, you might still live to go back to your pathetic little life with your bartender boyfriend."

"You're crazy, sick in the head."

I slapped her across the face and her head slammed into the tree which did shut her up.

"Mind your mouth girl, you have no idea what I am or what I've lived through. You were safe on your little reservation protected by the wolves and the likes of me. All my companions are dead keeping little fools like you safe and sometimes I have to wonder why we bothered."

When she had turned as I slapped her she had felt the bumps in her pocket and tried to see what they were but of course it was impossible for her tied as she was.

"They're grenades, incendiary grenades and as you can see.."

I held up a stick with fine filaments wound around it so she could see what it was,

"The filament is attached to the pins which are already loose so I'd be careful if I were you and stop wriggling unless you have a death wish."

Her face had blanched and I felt a twinge of remorse but then I remembered my baby, the innocent infant who had been turned into a blood drinking monster and it faded.

"You're going to kill me? Blow me up with the vampires?"

"Only if they get close enough, if not I have a contingency plan so you could still come out of this alive if you're lucky."

"Lucky? You're the monster kidnapping me and booby trapping my body and all the while trying to justify your own monstrous actions."

I was too close, her mouth worked and she spat at me, her saliva trickling down my face. I admit that got to me, I was tired, hurting, and I flipped out for a moment grabbing my knife once more and slashing her across the cheek.

"Shut up or I swear I'll rip you open from breast to navel and you can watch as your steaming entrails slip to the ground. There will be plenty of blood then to draw the vampires in."

She screamed in pain then subsided into quiet sobs as fresh blood ran down her chin and onto her already soiled sweater.

"That's better, let's keep it that way shall we?"

I suddenly froze, the vampires weren't far away, my gift told me that and I left Leah vanishing back into the trees careful not to put too much tension on the filament, I didn't want to waste a chance by blowing her up prematurely. I had more of the spheres and I arranged them beside me, the pins loosened so I could throw them quickly and smoothly, I'd done so a hundred times both in practice and for real and I was confident in my abilities. I closed my eyes and did as I always did at such times, I spoke to my father.

"Well, this is it, Dad, I may be joining you sooner than I planned. Despite all my precautions, my beautiful baby girl has become one of the enemy. You understand why I have to take the action I am taking, don't you? I know we are meant to protect the humans from the vampires but one sacrifice is surely permissible? This girl spurned her family, she even begged me not to kill Isabella, she would have me leave her a slaughterer of humans, alive to kill again and again. If I can I'll get The Major too, the beast you hunted all your life without success, I'm this close father, watch over me and send me luck."

I had set my trap in the path of the monsters according to my source, they were headed towards the nearest airport and I knew they were taking the fight to Volterra itself although I had no idea why and I didn't much care. Very soon they would both be dead and I could finally assuage my guilt at letting down both my father and my daughter, a burden I had found almost intolerable since I knew Isabella had turned.

I opened my eyes once more and peered into the small clearing which by now was full of the scent of human blood. Perhaps Bella will be the first to arrive if so I would kill her and feel I had been successful even if The Major then tore me to pieces. The very fact she was first would be telling, a newborn vampire had no control over its blood lust and the girl would thank me for destroying the monster she had become. If The Major appeared first then I would wait a few vital seconds to see if she was with him before sending him to hell. My daughter was his Achilles heel and that would give me the edge, an edge no other hunter had ever been blessed with and I intended to take full advantage of it.

 **Bella**

So it was decided we would all go to Italy and kill the two Volturi brothers responsible for activating Jasper thereby freeing him from its effects at least for a time. What would happen if Aro were to try to use The Major in the future we had no idea and personally I would be quite happy if he too were dead, then the secret of how to take over Jaspers body and mind would hopefully cease to exist. The thought that any day he might find himself unable to control his life, that he might cease to exist was too horrifying to contemplate and I was scared that my own gift that sheltered him from the effects of this curse would not be powerful enough to shield him in the future.

Something intruded on my musings and I stopped testing the air, my mouth began to flood with venom and my throat burst into flames, I could smell blood and it was so alluring it could only be a human. Peter too halted glancing around nervously his action mirrored by Demetri while Charlotte frowned,

"There's an injured human close by."

I tensed as the wonderful aroma beckoned me on but Jasper clamped a firm hand on my arm,

"Stay where you are, this could be a trap."

I opened my mouth to object to his order but then I saw that his own eyes were black with thirst. HE felt it as much as me but he was controlling it as were Peter, Charlotte, and Demetri and if they could do it then so could I.

"It's not the Volturi, they have no need of such tricks when they have Alec and Jane."

"No Demetri, if its a trap it's been laid by a human, no vampire could stay so close to that smell and keep control."

I glanced at him before pointing out,

"You have, and the others, it's only me that would have gone forward without thinking."

He smiled faintly,

"That's because we have centuries on you and with age comes control, besides we aren't that close yet and the smell is strong."

"Do you think it's a human attacked by a bear or something?"

Jasper shook his head in response to Demetri's question,

"It would be wiser to expect an ambush which means someone has tracked us here, someone other than the Volturi which is worrying."

"I'll go on, scout out the situation."

Peter was almost out of sight as he said this but he heard Jaspers words clearly enough,

"OK, but stay out of sight. Demetri, you take Charlotte and work your way around the back of the scent, if you see anything text us don't call out, I'd rather we were all ready before letting them know how close we are. Bella, you follow me and try to keep your thirst under control a little longer. If you lose it then I lose your protection and now is not the time for me to decide you four are the enemy."

I nodded, he was right and stopped breathing although the very knowledge that the scent was all around me was difficult enough.

I followed in Jasper's footsteps although as a vampire I had no need, I wasn't going to betray us by tripping or stepping on a twig but old habits died hard. The closer we got the more overpowering the scent of blood became until I was fighting to control myself and terrified I was losing but then Jasper halted and gestured to Peter who came from the shadows a few yards ahead. He walked to us and spoke quietly,

"It's a trap all right. There's a girl tied to a tree, she's bleeding from two deep cuts and there's another human in the trees beyond. She's very quiet but she is armed."

"With what?"

"Grenades and at a guess, I'd say they were probably incendiaries like the ones Charlie had. I think this is an invitation to a barbecue and vampire is on the menu."

I had side stepped the two guys and peered through a gap in the bushes ahead and what I saw made me shiver. I recognized the girl who had been slashed and tied to the tree in the open, it was Leah and suddenly I didn't feel the urge to feed any longer.

"I know who she is and I think I know who set the trap."

Jasper turned to me, his face bleak,

"The Hunter, the woman, your mother."

I nodded,

"But why would she choose Leah?"

"Because you recognized her, you were friends."

I nodded as understanding dawned,

"She's trying to get me out into the open, she means to kill me."

"Or use you as bait to draw The Major out, either way, she's some piece of work. What do you want to do Major?"

Jasper didn't hesitate,

"Tell Demetri and Charlotte to take the woman, alive if they can but warn them she's armed."

I grabbed his arm,

"What about Leah?"

He stared at me and I knew if I hadn't asked the question he wouldn't have given her safety a thought but he hesitated and Peter who had been texting rapidly whistled low,

"We've got a problem if you want to save the human Major, she's booby trapped and the bitch in the trees has the fucking trigger. They can take her but there's a chance she might activate it as they do. Waiting for your orders."

"Please Jazz, Leah is innocent, we have to at least try to save her."

The two men exchanged a glance over my head and Peter shrugged,

"OK, but it's your funeral."

I didn't know what he meant until it was too late, Jasper was gone and Peter held my arm.

There was a noise, a scream and a terrible flash followed by the smell of burning and I screamed his name. He had gone into the clearing as Demetri and Charlotte took Renee in an attempt to save my friend at the risk of his own life. I heard my mother's voice yelling obscenities but all I was interested in was the girl in Jaspers arms as he appeared out of the smoke, one shirt sleeve alight. Peter took Leah from him and I slid off my jacket and extinguished the flames that had already seared the flesh of his arm. Seeing my stricken look he just smiled,

"I think I must be slowing down but at least we know your shield works under pressure, I didn't kill anyone."

I was so relieved I just threw my arms around him showering his face with kisses leaving Peter to play nursemaid to a sobbing Leah while the other two subdued my mother.


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter Forty Six**

 **Charlie**

My host had been very quiet the past few hours spending most of his time tapping on his keyboard and watching the various screens although I couldn't work out what he was doing. There was certainly nothing on any of them that I could make sense of, some just revealed scrolling words that went way too fast for me to read while others showed landscapes which moved slowly, satellite images I guessed, Then he sat up alert and smiled,

"There you are, I wondered how long it would be before you turned up. I don't think you have the faintest idea what you are walking into."

I leaned over his shoulder to look more closely and my blood ran cold as I recognized my ex-wife and a young girl in a tree bordered clearing.

"What's going on?"

He turned to me,

"Isn't it obvious, she's setting a trap for The Major but she doesn't stand a chance. Do you know the girl? Does she have some significance?"

I couldn't see her face clearly and told him so at which he hit a key and the picture zoomed in and that's when my blood ran cold.

"That's Leah Clearwater, a friend of Bella's, or at least she was until she moved away from the area."

"A Quileute? Interesting."

"You think Renee is using her as bait to draw The Major out? Why should he care about her?"

I saw Renee slap Leah and then take a knife and slash the girl's arm and gasped,

"She's using Leah's blood to draw the vampires in and because Leah was Bella's friend she thinks Bella will try to save her?"

"Your daughter is a newborn, she's more likely to drain her "friend" than save her and if she comes out into the open he'll follow, or that's what the huntress assumes. What she doesn't know is that The Major and Bella are no longer alone. Look."

He pointed to the next screen where a small group of people stood talking. I recognized my daughter and The Major along with Peter and his wife Charlotte who had delivered me to Darius.

"Who's the other guy?"

He turned to me once more the smile gone from his face,

"That Charlie is a member of the Volturi, or should I say a member of Aro's inner circle. I doubt Caius and Marcus know of his treachery though."

"So, he's helping them? What about the others the Volturi sent, this Jane and Alec? Where are they?"

"Closer than I'd like although I think The Major will have dealt with the huntress before they arrive."

"And then what?"

"And then we pray your daughter can shield him and his friends from the Volturi gifts or attack them as she did when he was in danger before, the way she protected you."

"And if she can't?"

"Then you can say goodbye to everyone except The Major and possibly your daughter. If the brothers know of her gift they will take her back to Volterra."

"She won't work for them."

"She'll have no say in the matter. They'll either threaten The Major or use Chelsea who can force anyone's loyalty."

"Why aren't you helping?"

"I am, I'm their eyes and ears in the sky. I've been giving them warnings constantly."

"How? I haven't heard you call anyone."

"I don't need to, I am sending texts which Peter reads every few minutes."

As I watched horrified there was an altercation between Leah and Renee and my ex lashed out cutting the young girl's face with the knife.

"How far away are they? Will they get there before that bitch kills the girl?"

"Watch Charlie."

I did, my eyes glued to the split screen Darius had just put up and saw Peter and the Volturi sneak around behind Renee and attack just as someone came out from the trees merely a blur. Then there was a flash of light and the clearing was on fire but there was no sign of Leah or blurred figure.

"What happened? Where are they?"

Darius merely tapped the top screen which showed Bella kneeling beside Leah while The Major ripped off his shirt which was black down one arm.

"Your wife booby-trapped the girl, it's a good job The Major is fast."

I couldn't believe it, Renee was willing to cremate Leah in order to kill our daughter and The Major? Then I remembered her words to me, yes, she would do whatever it took. Rage rose in me at that thought,

"Get hold of them, tell them not to kill Renee just yet, I want to speak to her first."

He looked at me one eyebrow raised inquiringly,

"Do you think she's going to listen to anything you might have to say?"

"Maybe not but I want her to know I stand by Bella, vampire or not."

He shrugged and handed me his cell phone,

"Hit #1, that'll get you through to Peter but you'd better hurry, they're running out of time."

"Can you send video with this thing?"

He nodded,

"Good, take your cue from me."

Darius didn't question me, he just waited as I spoke to Peter.

"Now is not a good time Darius."

"It's me, Charlie, Bella's dad. I need to speak to Renee and Bella."

"Listen, we don't have time for a fucking family reunion."

"Just do it."

I heard him cursing loudly and saw on the screen as he dragged Renee over by the arm to where the others had congregated around Leah,

"Put me on speaker Peter."

"You're on but make it quick or we're gonna be picking Volturi outta our teeth."

I took a deep breath,

"Bella, I want you to know that it makes no difference to me you being a vampire, I love you just as much as I always have and you Renee, you call the vampires monsters, well let me tell you, you're the monster. You were prepared to kill an innocent young woman, a friend's daughter to get what you wanted, you're sick and I'm just glad they caught you in time."

She glared at me on the tiny screen of Darius' cell phone.

"Your days hunting down vampires is over which is a shame really because it means we'll never meet again, I'm joining Bella."

Renee's eyes went wide with shock,

"Yeah, that's right, I'm going to become a vampire and I'll make damn sure hypocrites like you die."

I drew my finger across my throat and Darius cut the connection smiling at me,

"Well, well, there is some fire in there, you have hidden depths, Charlie. What do you do for an encore?"

I turned to him,

"Make good on my promise and I want her to see it before they kill her."

He stared at me,

"You're serious aren't you? You know there's no going back, do you have the faintest idea what becoming a vampire means?"

"I'll learn on the job unless of course, you're refusing to turn me."

Darius shrugged,

"It's your funeral Charlie, but don't you think you should discuss it with Bella first?"

I shook my head,

"I'm doing this for her and for me. Without Bella in my life, I have nothing. Do you understand?"

He nodded, a bitter smile playing on his lips,

"You have no idea."

Taking the phone from me he called Peter back,

"You need to move, the head-hunters are closing in fast so wrap it up but first give Bella the phone."

He handed the phone to me and I waited as Bella came on,

"Dad? I'm so sorry, I love you but..."

"No buts, I should have stopped your mother and I didn't, this is partly my fault but I won't go on without you Bells so expect me when it's over and remember I love you."

She watched with eyes wide as Darius leaned over my shoulder,

"You sure about this?"

"Never surer."

I felt a sharp pain in my neck and then agony as liquid fire entered my veins and then I collapsed back into Darius.

 **Bella**

I heard Renee's scream when she realized what was happening and couldn't help feeling proud of my dad. A rush of warmth flooded through me as I replayed his last words, I just hoped he could cope with being a vampire but I would be there to help him once this was over.

Leah wasn't seriously injured, she was in more danger of being drained than of bleeding to death but then I realized the scent of blood had faded away and looked at Jasper puzzled. Seeing his arm I ran to him and looked closer, the flesh was seared and although he wasn't in any pain we both knew this was yet another mark he would be forced to wear on his skin, it didn't seem fair somehow.

"I'm fine Bella, really and it's a good idea to use your gift to trap the scent of fresh blood around your friend although I don't think anyone here really wants to harm her, however, the same cannot be said for your mother."

I turned to look at Renee, rage building up in me and I suddenly understood why vampires were so dangerous and unpredictable. An emotion which as a human might mean a curse or a punch would mean death as a vampire, all my senses, all my emotions were heightened to a degree it was difficult to control them.

"Calm down Bella, I'm not going to allow you to kill your mother, you'd have to live with that guilt for eternity."

I felt a calm slip over me like a gossamer blanket and nodded,

"But she deserves to die for what she's done."

"Yes, she does but you are not a killer, there are plenty here with blood on their hands who would gladly kill her for you, it's up to you to decide. She's too dangerous to allow her to go free, I think your mother has lost her wits."

Renee was almost foaming at the mouth as she spat out oaths and curses kicking and lashing out while the others, minus Charlotte who was busy ministering to Leah, stood watching, having formed a circle around her but when she saw me approach she stopped. Her eyes fixed on my face and I saw only fear and loathing in them, my mother hated me for what I had become.

"You should have died, better you were never born than end up cursed with your soul burning in hell for all time."

I shook my head in disbelief, I felt nothing for this bitter stranger except contempt,

"Well, maybe if you'd stayed around to love and guide me things would have worked out differently."

"Don't you dare blame me for this, it was your own stupidity, blindness, and inability to recognize true evil when it stood in front of you. I hope the Volturi do kill you, and that filthy beast you care for so much. If only you could see the stains on his soul, you could bathe in the blood of innocents he has slaughtered till the end of time and still have plenty left over. He's a murdering beast, a filthy corrupt monster who delights in maiming, torturing, and killing."

"That's not true, the Volturi turned him into such a creature."

She laughed contemptuously,

"Is that what he tells you? His heart was black and rotten even before they took control of him and now you will be corrupted too, and your father, although his actions I put down to pure stupidity and petty revenge. Does he really think that by turning he can make me care? He was a fool as a human and he'll continue to be so as a vampire."

I didn't care what she said about me but she had no right to slander my father in this way and I told her so.

"There's only one monster here right now, the one who snatched an innocent girl from the security of her home, tied her up and tortured her then used her as bait to lure in a creature you knew would try to kill her knowing you would blow her to pieces yourself first. How's that for a filthy monster, mother?"

I stepped forward and slapped her across the face remembering only just in time my new strength or I would have taken her head off with the blow.

"When you two have quite finished this slanging match we need to move so make a decision Bella, fast."

I turned on Peter snarling in my anger but again Jasper calmed me although I could see he too was struggling. I was allowing my emotions to get the better of me and in doing so I weakened the shield that protected him so pulling myself together I spoke very coldly,

"My dear mother hates vampires so much, let her find out what it feels like to be one. Turn her and leave her here for the Volturi to find, they can decide whether to take her with them or kill her outright."

Jasper stared at me as if weighing up the sincerity in my words then nodded and turned to Peter,

"Do it, then we leave."

I turned away erasing my mother from my attention and concentrating instead on keeping Jasper safe from his compulsion but I did register her screams as Peter closed in for the attack.


	47. Chapter 47

****Chapter Forty Seven****

 ** **Caius****

Demetri was out of contact and we had no idea where he was or what he was doing although I think it fair to say that both Marcus and I suspected he had turned on us which meant he would probably find his way to The Major. We had no idea where he was either and as the hours passed with no word from Jane or Alec my sense of impatience grew. Why wasn't The Major following orders? Was it this girl that the Cullens had taken in who was somehow stopping his compulsion from working or was there something else? Over the centuries Aro had been the one who triggered his gift, with our agreement, so could it be there was more to it than the words we knew? It would be just like our dear brother to keep back a part of the command ritual but then it had worked, to begin with, so that seemed unlikely. I was becoming frustrated,

"We should imprison Aro and threaten to kill him and the rest of his beloved Cullen family unless he tells us what's wrong with The Major."

"Caius, calm yourself. I can't see any of the guards agreeing to kill Aro on our say so with no valid reason besides if there was any more to the ritual don't you think Sulpicia would have told us?"

"If she knew, yes but we know how devious Aro can be, he might have kept something back from her."

"Then, by all means, threaten him with the slaughter of all the Cullen family."

"So, you agree with me that we need to act?"

Marcus nodded slowly and I knew I had chosen my ally wisely, telling Marcus that I suspected Aro of knowing more about his sister's death than he had admitted to and that I was trying to discover the whole story, had been a master stroke. It was enough to fire him up without him losing control and attacking Aro himself without having to employ Chelsea which he would have seen as a betrayal by me just as Aro had betrayed him by using her. Once this was over and The Major had wiped out the Cullens and the girl I would tell him the truth, that I knew for certain our dear brother had murdered Didyme, his own sister, to keep Marcus gift within the Volturi.

I had just called in Heidi and Afton when we finally heard from Jane but the news wasn't good.

"The Major isn't hunting anyone at the moment, he's in the company of the Whitlocks and the girl Bella but there's someone else with them"

"Who? Felix? I always suspected his loyalty."

"Actually I think Felix is dead, no it's Demetri and they are headed to the airport although I seriously doubt they are traveling to hunt down Carlisle. It's the girl influencing The Major, she has some kind of hold over him, Caius."

"Then kill her and get him back on track, we need the Cullens and the girl dead. If not then we'll lose our greatest weapon. I expect to hear she is dead within hours."

I slammed my cell phone down on the desk in frustration cracking the outer casing and Marcus stared at me, one eyebrow graciously curved upwards in amusement.

"What do you find so funny?"

He shrugged,

"Nothing, it just seems ironic that the very time we decide to move against Aro a young girl gets in our way."

"In our way or not she's going to get herself killed, she may be sheltering The Major from the influence of the compulsion but I doubt she can do that and protect herself and their little band of brothers. It won't be long now Marcus and when The Major has finished his task Alec can bring him back here for one last job before he burns out completely and maybe we should ensure that he stays dead this time."

Marcus looked up at me sharply,

"You want to kill him? Why?"

"Because dear brother we have demonstrated how dangerous a weapon he can be, what if someone decided they wished to be rid of us?"

"That's impossible, who knows the words to activate him other than us?"

"Do you really think Aro hasn't made contingency plans for just this type of occurrence? He may have someone who could turn The Major against us should he die."

Marcus pondered on this for a few minutes while I sat and watched him, not that I doubted he would see things my way, for the first time in centuries he was thinking clearly, no longer influenced by Chelsea and he liked it. If Aro won this war then the likelihood was that I would be killed and Marcus put back under Aro's control, an outcome neither of us wanted.

"You aren't suggesting Sulpicia are you? That would be madness on her part, the Volturi would never follow her and I won't condone her murder, Caius."

"Of course not, besides with her mate dead chances are she will decide to join him. I just think we mus be vigilant and act on the slightest suspicion."

"If we kill The Major then there is no threat to us."

"Of course, besides which I don't think Athena would forgive me if I killed her only friend."

He laughed at that which shocked me slightly, my taciturn brother never even smiled let alone laughed out loud, it was quite unnerving.

"If only that was all you had to worry about her forgiving you. It's a good job Chelsea and Corin are both loyal to you or you might find your dear wife creeping up behind you with a burning brand one night. Imagine her wrath if she realized just how many women you have slept with over the years and how her two companions have hidden it all from her."

This made me slightly uncomfortable, Athena had been an extremely volatile young woman when I met her and her jealousy only deepened once she became a vampire. For some strange reason, she never understood that a man has needs, that a little of the forbidden fruit was tantalizing. I had almost lost certain parts of my anatomy when she heard that I had tried to seduce her friend Sara and it took a considerable amount of sweet talking and a bribe to persuade Chelsea to bring my dear wife back to heel.

Sara was my one regret, lusting after her had led to her suicide and as a result, the only safe place left on Earth for me was within the walls of the citadel. I knew if I stepped outside its protective walls Darius would be there waiting. What he had planned I could only imagine but whatever it was I knew it ended with my death.

When Jane called back both Marcus and I felt hopeful, maybe they had already killed the girl and captured The Major and she was calling for orders regarding his companions.

"Yes? Tell me you have good news."

"I'm afraid not, he's still one step ahead of us, but we do have a situation."

"A what?"

"They've left us a transforming human and ironically enough it's one of the Vânători what do you want us to do about it?"

Marcus and I exchanged a puzzled stare, why would The Major turn a hunter only to leave him behind for us to find?

"Do you know who he is?"

"She, it's the leader."

Ah, that made more sense! What better way to torture a hunter than to turn them, especially the leader, but I was still curious, now was not the time to be playing games so why leave a transforming human alive where we would surely come across her? Why not bite her then kill her once she was unconscious locked in the hell fire of the change?

"Marcus? What's he playing at?"

My brother shrugged,

"Perhaps he thinks we would be interested in taking her thus slowing us down or maybe he just doesn't care what happens to her. Didn't the leader of the hunters have a gift?"

"Yes, somewhere between Jane and Alec in effect but we don't have time to be worrying about a newborn and there's nowhere to stash her safely. I think under the circumstances it might be wiser to kill her, Marcus."

"Are you sure? Gifts are always a welcome addition to the guard."

"Yes, which makes me wonder why The Major would leave her for us to find. I suspect he had found a way to turn her against us, we could find ourselves with an enemy spy in our company."

He waved a hand carelessly,

"Then kill her."

I turned to him,

"Are you sure, Marcus?"

"Yes, kill her. Think about it Caius, she may wake up a vampire but her hatred will wake with her and that would make her incredibly dangerous to us, a vampire whose only concern would be to kill other vampires. Besides, they need to move fast and with a transforming human that wouldn't be possible."

"Very well, you heard Marcus, Jane, kill her then find that girl and kill her too. I want The Major back under our control and killing his way through the list he was given."

We sat in silence for a while both wondering at The Major's motive leaving the human behind knowing that they were being pursued, he was playing a very deep game,

"He's coming here."

Jerked from my reverie I looked up startled at Marcus who had just spoken.

"Here?"

"Of course, he knows that we control him if the girl fails to protect him and the only way to be free would be to kill those who command him. He'll come here looking to kill us to save himself."

"Does it work like that? Can he free himself of the compulsion if he kills us?"

Marcus shrugged,

"I have no idea but if I were in his place it's what I would do, take the fight to the very heart of the problem. Maybe that's why he left the woman behind, to slow us down, get us puzzling over his next move."

He got up, his chair scraping across the flagstone floor,

"Where are you going? We could have word soon."

"You know my number, I'm going down to the archives, let's see if there is anything down there that might throw light on his actions."

"Very well but watch your back, Aro may be without his usual ally Felix but that doesn't mean he is any less dangerous."

"I always do but thank you for your concern, do you truly care about me or are you just not willing to face The Major alone should I die? I wonder."

He went out shutting the door softly behind him, sometimes Marcus could be too perceptive. Of course I didn't relish standing alone against the most dangerous predator in our world but I wouldn't be alone, I had the Volturi guard ready to defend the citadel and if I discovered he was on his way to Italy I would call back Jane and Alec, in the private jet they could be back before our enemies ever set foot on Italian soil.

 ** **Marcus****

We were playing a very dangerous game turning on Aro, much as I despised him for making me his puppet I was clear-sighted enough to understand he was the Volturi, the senior commander and I doubted that all the guards would come to Caius rallying call, Aro still had support here in the citadel. I wasn't blind to Caius weaknesses either, the most worrying being his lack of morals. He wouldn't think twice about turning against me and blaming me for everything if he thought Aro was likely to wrest back control. I was the piggy in the middle, the one both sides wanted with them to give their cause respectability, two against one meant the two must be right and the odd man out wrong so it was up to me to decide which side was the right one.

Certainly, I had sided with Caius initially, I was sick of Aro snapping out the orders without even consulting me but who was the better man? Had Caius lied to me when he said he suspected Aro of being the one to kill Didyme? I could hardly credit it although I had harbored my own doubts down the centuries. It seemed that now was the time when I must choose sides for the very last time and live or die with that choice but which way should I choose to go? That was the question which I must answer to my own satisfaction and soon, very soon, before the enemy began hammering on our very gates. I had hedged my bets already by not adding Darius name to The Major's kill list, what would CAius do if he discovered that ommision?


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter Forty Eight**

 **Bella**

Darius kept us informed of the Volturi 's progress and it was plain they were catching up with us. We had been slowed by Renee's trap and now we had Leah to worry about. We couldn't leave her behind for the Volturi to find, they would be sure to kill her and she deserved better so we had to take her with us at least as far as the airport.

"Then what? She can't get on a plane in her condition if security sees her we're all going to be in big trouble."

Peter was right but what else could we do? We couldn't take her to Italy with us, she needed medical attention and somewhere to rest and recover and in Italy, she would be in danger from the Volturi.

"What about Carlisle? He's safe enough with us en route to Italy and he's a doctor."

Leah looked at me but her eyes were unfocused and she kept blinking as if to clear her vision.

"I'm OK, I can drive myself back to..."

As she spoke she wavered then fell silent and her legs began to fold beneath her.

I was surprised when it was Demetri who caught her and lifted her into his arms smiling at my expression.

"I may be a vampire and a member of the Volturi but I'm not a monster Bella. This girl was injured by a hunter to use as a lure for us, it's only fair we do all we can to help her back to safety."

"You do know she's a Quileute don't you?"

He nodded to Peter,

"Yes but that's hardly her fault and she's female so she won't be phasing, therefore, she isn't the enemy."

I nodded, he was making sense but I knew Peter was sneering behind his back, he had little time for humans whatever their ethnic background.

"I'll stay with her until I can contact Carlisle and if he can't come back I'll drive her home."

Charlotte scowled at Peter as he opened his mouth to object to her suggestion and he shut it with a snap then objected anyway.

"It leaves us one fighter short."

"Not necessarily."

Neither Peter nor I knew what Jazz meant until we reached the airport perimeter when a dark van slowed down to a halt beside us and the door slid open to reveal the driver, another vampire, and one I recognized when he spoke.

"I've arranged our transport, I thought you might be short handed with someone having to look after the girl, who drew the short straw? Because whoever it was they can babysit Charlie too."

"Is he OK? Where is he?"

Darius turned speculative red eyes on me,

"So Bella, we meet at last. He's safely squirreled away in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. Carlisle is on his way and if they get here in time Garrett's going to join us too."

Jazz nodded,

"Good, I thought you couldn't resist the chance to get even with Caius but there's no guarantee we'll get inside the citadel."

"I'll take my chances Major, if you can't get us in there then no one can and with Jane and Alec behind us I think now will be my best chance for a little revenge."

I didn't know Darius story but I would ask Charlotte if we ever came home again.

Charlotte took Darius place in the van and started the engine after hugging Peter and warning him not to get himself killed.

"You do and I'll go find your ashes and kick them all over Italy and you know how much you hate olive groves and garlic!"

It was easy to see she was worried for her husband's safety but she knew someone had to remain behind and I couldn't, Jazz needed my gift if he was going to continue to overcome the compulsion.

"Hey, keep the blankets warm I'll be back before you know it, kid."

Peter spoke softly but I was sure Charlotte heard him.

"Right folks, let's stir our stumps, the jet is costing money while it sits on the tarmac."

"Yeah but whose money Darius?"

He grinned,

"Well you know Peter, I can't rightly remember, some corporation or other very kindly lent it to us free of charge."

The two shared an evil chuckle and I knew Darius had somehow hacked into a corporation and "borrowed" a private jet.

"Did you conjure up a pilot too?"

He pulled a face at my question,

"Not so easy at such short notice."

Then he turned to me smiling encouragingly,

"You can fly a plane can't you Bella?"

I stared at him, was he serious?

"No? Oh well, never mind, I think I remember how, after all, a plane's a plane isn't it? Can't be so different flying a biplane than a jet can it?"

I knew he was joking to ease the tension but I still found it nerve racking when after all the paperwork was done he actually strode to the cockpit calling over his shoulder,

"Hold on tight folks, I'm a bit rusty at taking off."

We were taxiing to the runway allocated for our take off when I noticed a figure running towards the plane and shook Jasper's arm,

"Who's that?"

He peered out the window then leaned back,

"Just Garrett."

"Isn't Darius going to stop for him?"

He shook his head,

"Nope, we lose this slot we lose our advantage, he'll jump."

"Jump?"

I turned just in time to see Peter open the cabin door, his hair whipping across his face in the slip stream from the plane and lean out,

"Come on Garrett, get your ass moving or you go all the way on the wing."

Garrett managed an obscene gesture then jumped and Peter caught his hand hauling him aboard before slamming the door shut once more and slapping the newcomer on the back,

"Good to see you again Garrett."

"I wasn't missing this fight, it's been too long since I kicked any butt and Volturi is the best kind."

"Amen to that."

They were all crazy, treating this like a day out at the ocean instead of a dangerous fight that we might well lose along with our lives.

The flight was long but the level of chatter never got below raucous as Peter and Garrett caught up and traded insults and tall tales while Jazz sat quietly in his seat his fists clenched on the armrests. He was struggling against the compulsion again after all Garrett had become one of his targets when he stood beside Carlisle and Edward and having him here in such close quarters meant more pressure on Jazz to act, to fulfill his mission.

I tried to keep his mind occupied but he answered in monotones and eventually, I decided the best thing I could do was to leave him alone so I went to sit with Demetri who was also alone, not exactly ostracized by the others but largely ignored.

"It will be hard for you, fighting your friends."

He turned to me and threw a quick glance at Jazz before answering,

"I think you might find a lot of the guards have a healthy respect for The Major."

"You mean they won't fight?"

He shrugged,

"Some will, those who are loyal to Caius and Marcus but Aro's supporters? Who knows? This is more than a fight between The Major and the brothers, Bella. It's a fight for control of the Citadel and our world and right now I wouldn't like to bet on the winner."

I knew when we were getting close to landing, the tension in the cabin which had dissipated during the flight began to rise again and slowly everyone found a seat and retreated into their own thoughts while I regained my seat beside Jazz who turned to look at me,

"I'm sorry I haven't been much company Bella but I can feel the compulsion ripping at my brain, it's like an itch I can't scratch, a whisper ordering me to kill Garrett, kill them all because they are here to kill the men who give me my orders. It's like I'm programmed to protect my commanders and resisting hurts."

I nodded although I could hardly say I understood, but what I could do was to concentrate on him and shielding him as much as possible from this awful compulsion.

I took his hand in mine and closed my eyes concentrating hard and as we circled the airport ready to land I felt his grip relax as I wrapped him tightly in an invisible cloak of love which I visualized as a golden glow flowing directly from my heart to bathe him.

"That feels good Bella, it's a relief to feel myself relax. If you can keep this up until we reach Volterra I might just be able to think clearly enough to come up with a plan."

"Do you think Alec and Jane are on their way too? I mean will we be in time to storm Volterra before they land?"

"I don't know, we'll have to ask the pilot once he lands."

The touchdown was perfect, as had been the takeoff, and when Darius joined us at the customs shed he was beaming,

"Now that was fun and the day just keeps getting better."

"Any news on our friends?"

"Still in the air, they won't be landing for at least a couple of hours, it's not much of a head start but it's the best were gonna get so I suggest we stop fucking about and get going."

He had a minibus waiting for us and there was only a short delay as he, Garrett, and Peter drew straws to see who was going to drive. Personally, I thought Peter cheated but the other two didn't seem to mind being passengers as he took off out of the city at breakneck speed.

"So, Major, how are we gonna play this?"

Jazz turned to Demetri,

"Can you get us in unnoticed?"

"Maybe but they will have been warned you're on your way so it's not going be easy. Don't drive up the hill Peter, stop a quarter of the way up near a small copse of cypress trees."

"What trees? Do I look like I know the names of every fucking tree? Give me a clue, no better still, just holler when we get there."

Demetri shook his head at this then continued,

"There are a series of tunnels we use sometimes to enter the citadel without going into Volterra itself. Most are guarded but there is one which collapsed many years ago. Aro had Felix and I clearing it whenever we could get away unnoticed. It's going to be a tight squeeze but it is just about passable. It will bring us out in the old kitchen area beneath the citadel. That's all blocked off too, all the doors have been bricked up but there is a grating that leads to an old watercourse coming up in a disused courtyard against the outer wall. As long as they don't have sentries posted there we can get inside without being seen by anyone."

Peter snorted in derision,

"Great, a fucking rat maze and that's before we get a sniff of Volturi."

Darius just smiled,

"You get us in Demetri then leave the rest to us but remember Caius is mine, I'll go through anyone who stands between me and him, be warned."

Jazz nodded,

"Understood, everyone stays clear of Caius once Darius gets to him. Demetri hunt down Aro and enlist his help, tell him we're here if he doesn't already know then see if you can round up some help from the garrison, if not, try to slow them down. Peter, you and Garrett help him if the guard decides to stand with Caius and Marcus we need to stop them all coming at us at once. Darius, Bella you two come with me, we'll find the two brothers, see if we can give them a little surprise but Bella, I need you at my side, if I lose your shield I'm going to be a bigger danger to our friends than the guard and the brothers put together OK?"

I nodded and Darius winked at me,

"Don't worry Major I'll watch Bella's back until I get sight of Caius, then she's all yours."

Peter stopped at a gesture from Demetri and we climbed out, it was still dark but I could see the lights of Volterra glowing at the top of the mountain and wondered if anyone up there was looking down here alerted for our arrival.

"Ready folks, silence from herein, hand signals only."

Everyone nodded taking orders from Jasper as if it were the most natural thing in the world and we entered the darkness of the tunnels one by one. I stayed as close to Jazz as I could, one hand resting lightly on his shoulder although the tunnels weren't dark enough that I couldn't see, I guess that was courtesy of my newly heightened vampire senses. Demetri took the lead and we came behind him leaving the others to follow, Peter at the rear to ensure this wasn't a trap of some kind although how we would fight our way out if it was, I had no idea and prayed we wouldn't be trapped down here, I hated enclosed spaces at the best of times.


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter Forty Nine**

 **Carlisle**

I was very surprised to hear from Charlotte Whitlock and even more shocked when she explained the situation and asked for my help looking after Leah Clearwater and Charlie who was transforming into our kind.

"Are you sure it's not a trap Carlisle? We could find ourselves in a position where we can't escape and Charlotte is a friend of Jasper's remember."

"If Jasper were still after us he wouldn't be asking Charlotte to help him, he'd be working alone. No, somehow Bella is still helping him and they need my help too."

Edward looked less than convinced but when Garrett finished speaking to Charlotte and handed back my phone he looked exultant.

"They're going to Volterra. They intend killing Caius and Marcus in an attempt to free The Major."

Edward scoffed,

"They don't stand a chance, there are too many powerful gifts in the guard, it's a suicide mission."

"Well, I guess The Major feels he has nothing to lose if he completes his mission chances are he will lose his identity and Bella so he's fighting for his very survival and I'm going to help. He's already got Peter and Demetri on side but Charlotte's going to drive the girl and Charlie to meet you so I'm going to take her place."

"What about us? You're going to leave us unprotected?"

"Edward, who do you need protecting from exactly? The Major is going to Italy and I'll be with him so you and Carlisle are safe enough."

"I don't trust him, or Peter for that matter."

Garrett looked at me but I just nodded,

"Go, Garrett and give Jasper my blessing, I'll be praying for success both for him and for the sake of myself and my family."

Edward was furious, now he wished he hadn't come back,

"If I'd kept running at the airport I could be well clear of danger by now."

"If you'd kept running you would probably be dead by now Edward so stop complaining and help me get some things together for Leah."

"That's another thing, why are we helping the Quileute girl? They are our enemies in case you've forgotten."

"She's injured and she was being used to lure The Major out, I'd say she deserves a little compassion wouldn't you? If you'd rather run off with your tail between your legs then do so Edward."

"But keep away from the family, yeah I get it. I'll stay but I don't have to like it."

"No, you don't but you will keep a civil tongue in your head while Leah is with us."

"And what do you plan on doing with her once you've patched her up?"

"Take her home if that's where she wants to go, if not anywhere she will feel safe in order to recuperate, she must be severely traumatized at the moment."

I knew Edward was about to speak again but I shot him a warning look and he decided better of it.

We met Charlotte about an hour later on the road between the border and Tacoma and while I ministered to a very shocked and shivering Leah leaving Edward to watch over an eerily silent Charlie, Charlotte brought us up to date on things. Edward listened, disapproval coming off him in waves but we all ignored him.

"So, Renee is a vampire now?"

"I don't know but I think the Volturi will probably kill her, time is of the essence and if they find out The Major is headed for Italy they won't want her slowing them down. I just wish I was with them."

"You'll be a lot safer here."

She turned to look contemptuously at Edward,

"You think so? Well, I was never one to hide behind my mama's skirts and those people are my friends, you fight for your friends Edward, that's a lesson you'd do well to learn. Charlie understood it, he chose to join Bella."

Leah seemed to come to her senses then and I saw recognition followed by shock and fear flare in her eyes.

"It's OK Leah, no one is going to hurt you. As soon as I've finished dealing with your injuries we'll take you home unless there's somewhere else you'd rather be."

She winced as she attempted to raise her arm then looked at the cut on her inner forearm,

"Renee did that, she kidnapped me and then booby-trapped my body with grenades. She was going to kill me to get to Bella."

As reaction set in and her shuddering became more violent Charlotte wrapped her arms around Leah's thin frame and comforted her.

"Don't worry, you don't have to think about it anymore, Renee's gone and you're safe."

I waited a few minutes until she was calm once more then spoke in a quiet reassuring way,

"May I continue stitching that wound? It will still scar but I can at least make sure the scar isn't too noticeable."

She grimaced and brought her good arm up to her face,

"And what about this? Can you make this disappear?"

I shook my head regretfully,

"No, I can't, but I do have a friend who is a plastic surgeon and I'm sure he would be willing to take a look."

She shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks to mingle with the dried blood from the cut and make pink streaks run onto her collar.

"Never mind, it will be a constant reminder that I could have been dead."

She sat still and silent as I finished sewing up her arm and then bandaged it but when I touched her face she flinched.

"Sorry, I guess I'm just not happy about a lee...vampire touching me."

"I understand but please believe me when I tell you that I am not your enemy."

"I know that, or I'd be dead now."

I cleaned up the cut as best I could and then taped the edges together. I doubted it would hold for long, the face is too flexible, but it would do possibly until we got her home.

"Would you like to call your parents? Or is there someone else?"

She nodded and took my proffered phone with a shaking hand but Charlotte had to dial the number as Leah's fingers weren't steady enough. She first rang someone named Corey, her boyfriend by the sound of things. She didn't tell him much, just that she was going to be joining her family soon and he promised to join her there as quickly as he could once she gave him an address. When she called her parents I could see how tense she was and offered to speak to them for her and to my surprise, she agreed.

"Clearwater residence Sue speaking."

"Mrs. Clearwater this is Doctor Cullen, I have your daughter here."

I added the last as quickly as I could for fear she might put the receiver down.

"What do you want? Why is Leah with you? I've had a guy on here frantic for word of her, a boyfriend. It seems she went missing and now you have her?"

"Yes, but I was not responsible for her disappearance, that was down to a friend of yours, Renee Swan."

There was a long pause as she absorbed this,

"Why would Renee snatch my daughter?"

"She used Leah to lure out Bella and Jas... The Major. She's hurt but not badly and I have administered medical help but I think she would be more comfortable with her family around her."

I heard her explaining to someone else in the room what was happening and then Harry's voice came down the line.

"Where are you? I'll come pick her up."

"We're just outside Tacoma."

"Can I speak to Leah?"

I looked at her and she nodded but her hands were shaking so much that Charlotte held the receiver for her.

"Dad?"

"Are you OK Leah? Are you really coming home?"

"Yes, it's all true, Dr. Cullen has patched me up and I'm on my way now."

Reassured he asked to speak to me again,

"Can you drive her to the Canadian border? You know the village is deserted, we're in Denali but I'll fly down to meet you."

"Of course, I'll let you know which motel we are staying in and if you let me know when you land I'll pick you up."

He thanked me and hung up but I knew he would have an anxious time arranging flights and wouldn't be happy until he saw his daughter in the flesh.

Leah slept most of the way curled up in a corner of the back seat exhausted after her ordeal watched by Charlotte while Edward drove her vehicle, with Charlie unconscious in the back, following behind. When we arrived at a motel close to the border I left Leah and Charlie with Charlotte while Edward and I went out to buy her something to eat and some fresh dressings for her cuts.

"Do you think we'll be safe? After all, now the guardians know where we are they could decide to wipe us out."

"Edward, the Quileutes are not our enemies, not right now, and we have one of their own we are returning but if you are scared..."

"I'm not scared and I don't appreciate you thinking that way about me, I'm just being sensible and looking at all the options."

I chose to ignore him instead concentrating on buying a selection of foods from a nearby drive thru after calling in at a pharmacy first.

When the call came from Leah's father asking for the address of the motel sixteen hours later I woke her and checked her wounds once more but they appeared clean and were starting to heal while she was more concerned at facing her father again than the scars she would bear.

We heard a car pull up and when I looked out of the window I was startled to see not only Harry and Sue Clearwater but Quil Ateara and most surprising of all Johnny H himself. I called for Edward to join me and we walked outside to meet our guests, Sue pushing past us, with a mere hint of acknowledgment, to see her daughter who was still inside with Charlotte. Johnny H seemed content to allow Harry to do the talking and I answered his questions as best I could until Charlotte joined us when she was able to fill in the details.

I could see the shock on the faces of those present when they understood just how far Renee, the last remaining member of the Vânători, had been willing to go in hunting down Bella and The Major. There were a few embarrassed looks as they heard how it had been The Major who saved Leah's life and I wondered if that would make any difference to how they saw him. Yes, he had killed most of the wolves when under the compulsion, but he was not responsible for his actions at that time and now he was free of it, he was taking the fight to them in their very citadel.

"Let's hope his plan works then Doctor Cullen or we will be forced to take action of our own against him purely in self-preservation."

I nodded,

"You forget, I'm under a sentence of death too if he fails but he won't, I'm sure of that and he did save one of your own."

"One life does not make up for all the wolves he murdered but I accept it shows there are two sides to this story and I won't ask about the human becoming a vampire in the room behind you, its none of my business, he isn't one of us. Thank you for returning Leah, let us hope we do not need to meet again."

I knew what he meant, if we met again it would be because Jasper and Bella had failed and The Major was once more hunting us down.

"Yes, let's hope not."

Sue ushered Leah out of the room wrapped in her jacket and for a moment I thought she would ignore me but she hesitated and then held out her hand,

"Thank you, Doctor,"

Then she turned to Charlotte and shook hands with her too,

"Thank you for helping Leah, she said you were kind to her and she explained why Charlie decided to become a vampire and although I don't agree with his choice I do understand it to a degree. You can thank The Major for saving my daughter's life but tell him it doesn't make up for killing my son, we'll never be even."

I was sad that Jasper had been put into such a situation that he would never be forgiven for things he had been forced to do even when he had struggled against the compulsion.


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter Fifty**

 **Carlisle**

Well, we were safe for a while at least and I had great hopes that with Bella's help Jasper would find a way to beat his compulsion and free us to rejoin the rest of the family. I had called Esme with the latest news much to her surprise, I had told her I wouldn't put them in danger while we were on the run by contacting them, but I decided as Jasper was out of the picture I could chance it and I was desperate to hear my mates voice after so long apart. They were safe and well on Isle Esme but missing us, and Esme's most often asked question was when could they come home. I told her I hoped it wouldn't be long now but that I couldn't join them even though the danger had lessened because I was watching over Charlie as he transformed.

She had been outraged to hear of Renee's behavior towards Leah Clearwater and was relieved we had managed to not only save the girl but also return her to her family safe and well.

"Perhaps they will think a little less harshly of us now."

"I doubt it after all Jasper did murder Seth Clearwater."

She had no idea what had been happening and again she was horrified but I didn't have time to run through everything, I did, however, assure her that Edward and I were safe once more before I had to end the call.

My task was made more difficult because Charlie seemed as a man asleep not undergoing the agonies of the burn and I had no way of gauging how much longer it would be before the transformation was over. I knew Edward and I could cope with a newborn, we'd managed Esme, Rosalie, and Emmett, but it was reassuring to have Charlotte with us, after all, she had more experience with them than both of us put together, care of Maria.

"Carlisle, I think Charlie will be waking soon."

I came over to where she stood to look down on him as he lay on the bed we had made for him in the abandoned cabin we found a short way from the border. We couldn't take him back to the house in Forks, that was far too dangerous under the circumstances nor could we stay in a motel or hotel. Having a newborn wake in the middle of an area full of humans was a recipe for disaster.

"Why do you think that? He's only been bitten about twenty-four hours, that's way too quick."

"I know, but I get the feeling he's almost ready and I think we should be too. Bella has a gift and it follows she got it from someone. Now I know her mother was gifted but that doesn't mean her father isn't too and if he is then it might take the three of us to control him. Edward, did you hear me?"

Edward came over from where he had been sitting reading at an upstairs window, ostensibly keeping watch.

"I heard you but like Carlisle says it's too soon Charlotte, you're worrying unnecessarily."

"Oh really?"

She motioned to Charlie who opened his eyes on cue and sat up looking around carefully.

"Carlisle?"

I was shocked at how calm he sounded,

"You recognized me? That's a good sign Charlie, how do you feel?"

"Annoyed, frustrated, and eager to kill something, is that normal?"

I smiled,

"In a way although normal would be you trying to rip us to pieces in order to get out of here and feed."

He thought about this,

"Feed? As in drink blood? Is that what the searing pain is in my throat?"

"Yes, but it will ease once you've quenched your thirst. I'll take you and show you how to hunt."

"Thanks, Carlisle but I don't have time for the niceties, I have to get to Volterra."

I rocked back on my heels astonished,

"Volterra? Why? You certainly aren't ready to take on the Volturi yet, you don't know how to fight, how your new body works..."

"That I can learn on the job. Can you get me there? I gave my word to Bella that I would stick by her and I want to make good on that promise."

I shook my head but Charlotte stepped in,

"I'll teach him if you can get us to Italy, Carlisle. I know you have contacts with private jets and it's important to both of us."

"If you think I'm going anywhere near Volterra you are crazy, Charlotte."

She turned on Edward angrily,

"No one expects anything of you Edward, that yellow streak down your back stands out too well, now shut up and sit down."

Both she and Charlie stared at me expectantly,

"I can probably get you a plane but they have a good head start, you'll never make it to Volterra in time."

"That doesn't matter, I need to be with Bella, Carlisle and I think you owe me, it's your fault she's in this mess now."

He was right of course, it was out fault that Bella was a vampire who was on her way to attack the most powerful of our kind in their own castle.

"Very well, I'll see what I can do."

I had a stroke of luck, a pilot I used from time to time had a jet ready and waiting for a client who had just canceled and with the long range jet he owned and a nonstop flight they could possibly narrow the gap, especially when he told me that we were in luck.

"There's been a nasty head wind blowing for the past ten hours or so but it's finally turned around, it'll be pushing us along."

It really depended on how quickly Jasper chose to act when they arrived in Italy and how long their flight had taken, a fierce headwind could add a lot to a flight time.

Charlie nodded when I told him the news,

"We'll take it. Let's go Charlotte, you can teach me to fight on the way, it'll be better than the in-flight movie."

I worried what would happen if Charlie lost control at 30,000 feet but Charlotte was willing to take the chance so there was nothing I could do but give them my best wishes. I offered to accompany them but was refused which relieved me, I was no coward but I wasn't a fighter either and Edward was conspicuous by his absence as I drove away from the cabin back to the city. In an attempt to help further I promised to arrange for a helicopter to pick them up in Pisa and fly them as close to Volterra as they deemed safe.

 **Charlie**

I'd never flown in a private jet before but then I'd never taken lessons in fighting from a young female vampire before either and I liked Charlotte. She was uncomplicated, like me, and we both wanted the same thing, to get to Volterra as quickly as possible and help out those we loved. In between tutorials on fighting vampire style she gave me a potted history of the Volturi and what had been going on between Bella and Jasper all this time. I learned more about the man my daughter had fallen in love with and found I felt a little better about her choice of mate, he sounded like the kind of guy I would have wanted for her, minus the slight problem with this compulsion and ignoring the fact he was actually thousands of years older than she was!

"Do you know what happened to that bitch I married, Charlotte?"

"Renee? I'm not entirely sure. The decision was made to turn her into a vampire. the very species she had spent her entire life trying to kill and then we left her behind when we made our way to the airport."

"You left her? Wasn't that reckless? She will be even more of a threat to you as a vampire with that gift she has. I mean it won't weaken her any longer will it? Like it did when she was human. You should have killed her outright. It was damn irresponsible to let her live."

"Actually it wasn't as stupid as it sounds, I know that no one wanted to kill Bella's mother before her eyes but we knew the Volturi had people out tracking us and that they would come across her as she lay vulnerable, still transforming."

"So, she'd get some help? Great!"

"Actually she would have been an encumbrance to them, her presence would only slow them down and they needed to catch up with us so the chances were they would kill her for us but she would die knowing she was becoming a vampire."

"Couldn't they just leave her and pick her up later?"

"No, that would risk her discovery by humans which would in turn break one of their own laws, we have to keep our secret from the humans. So, they either had to stay with her, take her with them, or kill her and knowing the leader of their party it wasn't difficult to work out what the decision would be."

"The leader?"

"Remember Jane Volturi?"

"Yeah, the little blonde with the face of an angel and the heart of a rattlesnake."

She smiled as I repeated her description of the girl.

"Well, she was in charge."

"Right, well Renee got what she deserved but I was just wondering, do vampire gifts have weaknesses?"

"Weaknesses? Well, some only work at a certain distance or on certain people or only affect them in a particular way, why?"

"Renee's gift was powerful but it sapped her strength, you don't think Bella's could have the same problem, do you? Only if so, they could find themselves in real trouble if The Major turns on them."

I could see I'd worried her as she sat thinking about it for a while and I paced up and down so full of energy I wanted to run and not stop until I reached Volterra and my daughter. Eventually, Charlotte spoke again,

"I don't think so because it sapped her human strength and a vampire's strength is constant."

"They never weaken?"

"No, not unless they don't feed, lack of blood will weaken a vampire but..."

"Then let's just hope they hunt before they storm the citadel or things could go west pretty damn fast."

"I'm sure they will, I should too when we land, but I promise it won't take long."

"You hunt humans for food?"

She nodded then added

"But Bella has lived on animal blood, she's not a killer."

"And what about me? I haven't fed yet"

"You're lucky Charlie, your body is feeding off the blood from its human self, it's what makes newborns stronger and faster than normal vampires until it runs out of course."

"And just how long do I have as a Super vamp?"

She smiled at that,

"Anything from a year to two, maybe less if you push yourself hard. Maria's newborns fought almost constantly and were useless after a year so they were culled."

"Right, so I should be good to go for the next few days, I'll see if I can't get a few notches on my belt, Volturi notches of course. How much longer until we land? I'm getting stir crazy shut up in this tin can."

"I can see that, you might want to release that seat back before you rip it out completely."

I looked down to see I had twisted the metal frame of the seat and it was straining at the locking mechanism which kept it bolted to the floor. I eased up the pressure but I have to say I felt good knowing how much strength I now had.

More fighting classes, mainly theoretical as we didn't want to bring the plane down before we reached our destination, helped to keep me calm until we finally landed and found, as promised, a helicopter waiting for us. As it flew out of Pisa towards Volterra Charlotte pointed out the sights of the city and it felt strange seeing it again because I'd been here once before when I was a young man with some college friends. We'd hiked in the Tuscan mountains camping out each night for two months and earning our money by picking the grapes. Now I was here again but this time my goal was very different, I was here to help my daughter and to overthrow the vampire royalty that threatened her happiness.

I wondered what my friends from that first trip were doing now, Brian was dead, killed in a motorcycle accident only two years after we got back. Mike had become the vice president of a bank, Roy was a farmer out west and John had joined the police force like me and was a deputy commissioner now. Time had changed us all, but me most of all, from student bum grape picker, to police chief, and now a vampire. I bet that wasn't in my "What I want to be when I grow up" report from Forks elementary school!


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter Fifty One**

 **Marcus**

The Major was coming here which meant he had decided to kill us, possibly hoping to be free once we were dead and of course his first target would be me as I was the one who had activated him. My only hope was to side with Aro and hope he could find a way to stop the slaughter before The Major reached me. Caius stood no chance, not alone, he may have Chelsea and Corin, even the twins but they were too far away to be of any help and I wouldn't trust them anyway, they had been close to Aro for centuries before Caius lured them to his side with the promise of seats on the ruling council if Aro were to die. I think he hoped that The Major would come back before he became exhausted if so Caius would add one more name to his list and watch as Aro was destroyed by his very creation.

I knew Aro was in his study at this time of day and knocked gently on the door.

"Come in."

Aro looked up surprised when he saw who his guest was.

"Marcus, to what do I owe this honor? Is Caius with you? Or are you here to gloat alone?"

"I've come alone because I have concerns and I think you misjudge me."

"Then please take a seat and explain that rather strange utterance."

I sat down and put my thoughts in order,

"We know The Major and friends are on their way to Volterra."

"Really? Then perhaps you should be with Caius, arranging a reception."

I ignored the sarcasm in his voice,

"I sided with Caius because he told me you were responsible for Didyme's death and that you killed her in order to keep me here. Is it true?"

"Shouldn't you have asked me that question before you sided with Caius? It's a little late now."

"Did you?"

He rolled his eyes then put the palms of his hands on the desk and leaned forward, closer to me.

"Why would I want to kill my own sister?"

"To keep me here, to hold on to my gift."

"Is that what Caius told you? It seems a very weak reason to kill my own flesh and blood."

"I've known you to do some very strange things for weaker reasons but I did have my doubts so I held back one card."

Aro smiled at me and sat back in his chair,

"Really? And now The Major is coming here to kill you, it was you who activated him I take it?"

I nodded nervously,

"And you want my help? What makes you think I could help you? Even if I wanted to. Tell me about the card you held back."

"Caius wanted Darius name putting on the The Major's kill list but I left it off."

Aro's predatory smile widened,

"Very clever, if Caius turned on you, then his nemesis would still be out there ready to kill him. Does he know?"

I shook my head,

"No, in fact, I let him believe that The Major had actually killed Darius."

"So, Caius believes he is safe now and you are gambling on Darius being in The Major's company."

"I don't know, we don't really understand how Bella shielding The Major or how he is fighting it but I believe he will be here soon along with some friends and I hope one of their number is Darius."

"You really are the most devious, disgusting, creature I have ever met Marcus, you finally understand how things are done in Volterra, I'm proud of you brother but I'm not sure I can help you, The Major may well want me dead too and as you spoke the fateful words I think it highly likely that he will head straight for you. I doubt he would listen to anything I might have to say in your defense. I'm sorry Marcus but this is one battle you must fight alone."

I suppose I should have expected no more and in Aro's place I'm not sure I would have been as gracious as he was but I noticed he never actually said he had no part in Didyme's death but the idea that he might have was almost preposterous and exactly the kind of thing Caius would dream up to gain my trust and support. Still, if I was going to die I would go down fighting and I was not without my own allies. I made my way down to the training ground for the guards which was a vast cavern under the citadel itself. Of the remaining top echelon of the guards, there were few left, Santiago, Afton and Heidi of whom two would come to my call and Santiago would bring other soldiers with him. Caius had Chelsea and Corin although I knew he had made advances to Corin angering both her and her mate Afton so I might have their allegiance too, especially if I were to tell Athena exactly what her husband had been up to with some of the Volturi women over the years. She would be my strongest ally because with her at my side others less sure of where to stand would follow. Sulpicia was more of an unknown, she and Aro no longer stood together because she had betrayed him by standing with us but if it came down to it she might still stand at his side, if not then I thought she would follow Athena so I might be able to count on both of the wives.

Unlike Caius I also had a spy in Pisa who was watching for any unusual activity at the airport, I had found it paid to be one step ahead of my dear brother Caius, even if I could not act against the other, Aro, until recently. By freeing me from Chelsea's gift Caius had also freed me to be myself and to choose independently although I was under no illusion, if we had won the war against Aro I was sure my dear brother would ensure I was kept loyal by Chelsea so I would be merely changing one master for another and I would never allow that to happen.

When I heard from my spy I was relieved to hear that Darius had accompanied The Major, my own death mattered little in the scheme of things as long as Caius joined me and Darius would ensure that. The Major also had Bella, the girl who kept him from the compulsion to obey, his Captain and no other than Demetri, that would shock both my brothers as they were both counting on his support.

"I followed them out of town until their vehicles stopped near the bottom of the mountain. I dare go no further, Marcus."

"That's enough, thank you."

He and I would probably never speak again but he had told me all I needed to know. I had wondered if the tunnels would ever again be used as a way into the citadel which is why they had all been sealed up centuries ago so why had The Major stopped there? Obviously, Demetri knew something I did not and it occurred to me that Aro could have been working with his loyal Felix and possibly even Demetri to ensure he had a way of escaping the Citadel should it ever be threatened and what was cleared to serve as an emergency exit could equally well be used as an entrance. I didn't want our enemies finding their way into the very heart of our palace too easily and tunnels could be used as holding cells or at the very least as a way to slow any attack. Yes, it would be best to slow The Major down giving me time for another chat with Caius and this time he would tell me the truth about my wife's murder. If Aro had been responsible then I would have time to act on the information before we were overrun. I would die surely but not before Aro did if he were indeed Didyme's murderer. Caius could live, Darius would take care of him in much more inventive ways than I could dream up, after all, he'd had centuries to plan his revenge and he deserved a chance to get it.

I called Santiago to one side and gave him his orders,

"You want us to make sure the tunnels are still blocked? I thought that was done centuries ago. Are we expecting trouble?"

"We're expecting Armageddon my friend but I would like to slow it down a little so if you find a tunnel that appears to be a possible way out of the citadel I'd like you to seal it and arrange a warm welcome for anyone who tries to force a way through."

"You want me to kill them?"

"If you can, but if any escape and you still live then I would advise you to

surrender quickly. Now go, and report back to me, and me alone, when you return."

When Santiago had gone with four of his best men I made my way to the tower to speak to Athena and Sulpicia. They welcomed me gracefully enough and listened in silence as I explained what was happening and my suspicions regarding Aro. Sulpicia found the idea that her husband had murdered his own sister too shocking to ever be true but when Athena told her that Caius had told her everything just after it happened she couldn't deny it.

"Caius is a monster Sulpicia, we both know that but I'm not sure even he could have committed such an atrocity. I didn't speak of it because Caius swore me to secrecy and threatened to kill me if I ever spoke of it to anyone."

"So why speak of it now?"

Athena smiled wanly,

"Because I expect to be a widow very soon, I doubt the noble Marcus ordered The Major to kill Darius and when he discovers The Major is coming to Volterra I doubt he will be far behind. My husband is an animal and I have been forced to close my eyes to all his women over the centuries, I acted as if I didn't know or didn't care but I did and if Darius makes way here I would take him straight to the bastard I call husband and watch as he dies, hard and painfully."

Sulpicia wasn't sure what to say after this,

"I need your word that you will not warn your husband Sulpicia."

"I betrayed him once and I promised never to do so again, it's how I survived but if he is a murderer then to hell with promises. You have my word Marcus, I shall not leave this tower nor call him and as he hardly ever visits these days I think it highly unlikely the two of us will meet. Is that sufficient for you?"

I nodded, finding her husband to be the murderer of her best friend, his only sister, had been enough to buy her silence.

Now for Caius, I figured I had a few hours if Santiago did his job well but I didn't want to cut it too fine so I went straight to the suite he had set aside for his study and "recreation" room, meaning where he took the girls his closest guards procured for him, the suite with the huge four poster bed and old garderobe** where their lifeless and drained bodies could be easily disposed of.

**Garderobe, Its most common use now is a term for a sheer shaft used as a castle toilet in _Medieval times._


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter Fifty Two**

 **Bella**

Everything had gone smoothly enough until we were three-quarters of the way through the tunnel when we came to a dead end with evidence of a very recent rockfall blocking our way forward. Demetri shook his head,

"This is fresh, they must have found out what we had been doing. Someone wants to stop us gaining entrance to the citadel."

Jazz stood looking at the fresh rock fall for a moment or two then shook his head,

"They don't want to stop us, or maybe they know they can't, what they're trying to do is to slow us down and there are probably booby traps or guards lying in wait on the other side. Whoever ordered this probably wants to give Alec and Jane time to get here before we attack. As far as they are concerned the twins are the only possible weapons that can defeat us."

"So, what do we do now? We could probably break through but like you said there could be a nasty surprise waiting on the other side for us to do just that."

Demetri was right of course but then Peter piped up,

"I'm more worried about them blocking the other end with guards armed with flame throwers right now, we'd be trapped like rats in that case. We should get the hell out of here now."

We all listened intently for any noise that might mean we had been followed into the tunnel but there was nothing, not even the squeak or scurry of a rat.

"It'll take too long to go back, they'll have time to fortify the citadel walls and the only ways in then are the clock tower and the drainage system both of which can easily be held against attack."

"And this fucking hole isn't?"

"It's no worse and our enemy will be expecting us to turn back so we could still surprise them if we continue."

Peter snorted at that,

"Or you could just be really fucking eager to get your hands on Caius, Darius."

Jazz snapped, obviously annoyed by their bickering.

"Enough, both of you. Darius is right, we go on. The longer we wait for the more chance of the twins getting back into the citadel and we have no idea how far or for how long Bella can keep her shield up. I don't want to take any more chances than we must."

Then he stopped again and contemplated the rockfall once more.

"If it is a trap I don't want us all getting caught. Garrett, Peter, I want you two to go back down the tunnel, get to the town walls and wait for a signal to tell you we're inside."

I frowned,

"What signal?"

Peter smiled in response,

"That's easy Bella, all hell will let loose, but mind you don't kill them all before I get a chance at one or two or I'll be really pissed off."

I hated the idea of our small group splitting up but I also hated the thought that we might find ourselves trapped down here with no one left to take the fight to the Volturi. Even if we failed, and met our fate trapped down here, those bastards deserved to die for what they had done to Jasper.

Once the others had left he turned back to the rock fall,

"Right, let's see what's on the other side of this shall we?"

We moved the rocks one by one making as little noise as possible so as not to alert anyone waiting too soon and the tunnel soon became choked with rock dust. For the first time, I was relieved that I no longer needed to breathe.

We made short work of the fall although it stretched back a good twenty feet into the tunnel and by the time we had a way through our way back was blocked with the debris we had removed so it was onwards or stay where we were trapped underground. This time we didn't need to watch our backs and we moved forward cautiously, we needed to give the others time to get out of the tunnel and make their way to the town walls although they would be moving as fast as they could.

We were almost at the end of the tunnel where it came out into the sealed off kitchen area beneath the Citadel when Jazz raised a hand and we all froze. Listening I could hear faint noises but I would have put it down to rats or mice while he knew better. As we closed ranks there was a movement in the shadows and a huge figure dressed all in black with four others appeared ready to attack.

I knew we could probably take them without too much trouble although using my gift down here would be too dangerous, but one carried a lit brand and looking down at our feet I could see the floor was wet although I couldn't detect any smell it was obvious whatever had been spilled there was flammable hence the guard armed with the burning brand.

There was nowhere to run and he smiled as he touched its burning end to a trail of the liquid which ignited immediately and ran hungrily along its path towards us. The Volturi were going to burn us to death and we had nowhere to run as our footwear was now coated in the same volatile liquid.

There was only one thing for it if we were to survive this, I concentrated sending my shield out as the wind which blew the fire back along its trail towards the guards who saw it coming and tried to run for the stairs. It was difficult but I kept the wind in check making sure it didn't turn back on us and they were too slow, the flames licked around their feet catching their cloaks alight and turning them into human candles who screamed and writhed as the fire destroyed them sending a thick purple cloud of smoke into the air which obscured everything.

"Run, make for the stairs but stay close."

I shouted as I made my way to the same stone stairs the Volturi had made for ensuring that the fire remained blowing away from our little party and by the time we reached the head of the stairs the screams had stopped and the bodies were no more than piles of ash on the blackened stone floor.

Demetri patted me on the back,

"Well done Bella, remind me never to upset you. Without your help, we'd all be dead by now."

I nodded in acknowledgment and turned to make sure our small group was all unharmed. As I turned back to Jasper I felt the ground move beneath my feet and looked down worried it was an earthquake but it seemed no one else had felt it yet I could see the floor undulating and staggered trying to keep my footing,

"What's wrong Bella? Are you OK?"

I turned hearing Jasper's voice but seemed to be coming from a long way away and his outline rippled too.

"I don't know, everything's moving."

Suddenly it felt as if all my bones had dissolved and I began to fall, only Jasper's quick reflexes keeping me from hitting the floor.

 **Jasper**

Bella suddenly slumped as if her legs were boneless and I caught her just in time.

"What's up Major? What happened?"

I shook my head, I couldn't answer Darius question because I didn't know myself but when I looked at her face I understood and a flash of dread ran through me. Her eyes were black with purple bruises standing out vivid below them, Bella was hungry, using her gift to protect us had used up her energy and she needed to feed but there were no humans here and certainly no animals.

"Darius, get the hell out of here now. If you can find Caius then take him down but stay away from me. Bella's shield is weakening and I'm not going to be able to control myself much longer. I have to find Marcus and kill him, if not I'll hunt you down and anyone else who gets in my way. If I can't find those I've been ordered to kill I get the feeling anyone will do. Now go."

He didn't argue with me,

"I'll try to warn the others Major, good luck."

Bella and I were alone now and I could see the guilt in her eyes,

"I'm so sorry Jazz, I'll keep you shielded as long as I can."

I nodded smiling at her reassuringly,

"I know, let me carry you, it'll be quicker."

I scooped her up in my arms and started to run already feeling the rage building in my head, the urge to destroy everything around me and I wondered how long Bella would be strong enough to hold the beast at bay.

 **Marcus**

Caius was exactly where I expected him to be although for once he was alone, he didn't even have a guard at the door which was most unusual since our problems with The Major. I could tell he was puzzled to see me, did he think I would be hiding somewhere or busy finding a way to kill Aro?

"Marcus, what a surprise. I hear The Major is coming, are you here to tell me you have a plan to save us? Did you find some magical talisman in the archives that will drop him where he stands? Or are you here to stand at my shoulder and fight?"

"Actually, I'm here to ask you a simple question, why didn't you tell me that Aro had killed my wife when it happened?"

Caius was taken aback by my bluntness and sat thinking for a moment,

"Have you spoken to him about it?"

"Yes."

"And I'm sure he denied all knowledge of the act."

"Actually he didn't, but neither did he deny it so I ask again, why did you wait so long to tell me? Was it because you were afraid of Aro? Or was it just that it didn't matter to you at the time but recently you found it useful to bring me onto your side in a battle against him?"

"You wouldn't have believed me then, any more than you did when I finally told you and Aro has had you under Chelsea's thrall. At the time she was one of Aro's minions, it took me a long while to bring her over to my side. Once I was sure of her loyalty I asked her to free you and then told you when you could at least consider it a possibility and I didn't lie to you, he was responsible."

"Oh, I trust you as much as you trust me, dear brother. I wonder if either of us will still be standing in a few hours."

Caius smiled coldly at me and shrugged,

"We will see, but I must point out that it was you who activated The Major therefore it will be you he is hunting for."

"Yes, convenient isn't it. But there is something I should perhaps tell you before I leave, it would only be fair I suppose given the circumstances."

Now Caius glared at me suspiciously, a flicker of concern in his eyes.

"Oh?"

"Yes, remember I was the one who activated The Major? Well, one name slipped my mind when I was giving him his orders, call it an insurance policy if you like."

I opened the door to leave and he sprang to his feet,

"Who? Which name Marcus?"

I smiled, I was going to enjoy the look on his face,

"The name? Oh, Darius and I believe he is with The Major. I do hope the Citadel holds or you could find yourself facing a rather dangerous situation. Goodbye Caius and... good luck, you're going to need it."

His face had drained of all expression and his mouth opened as he slumped back in his chair. My dear brother, who had been enjoying the moment when he thought I was the one in danger, was now terrified that his nemesis was here and would be hunting him down in a matter of hours at the most. Santiago may slow The Major down but I was under no illusion that he would stop him. No, very soon our enemy would be coming for us and nothing on earth would stop his progress.


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter Fifty Three**

 **Charlie**

When we finally landed we found there was transport waiting just as Carlisle had promised and we were soon on our way to Volterra. The countryside looked so calm and peaceful, the humans had no idea that a war was about to break out in their very midst, a war that would change the face of the vampire world.

"Do you think we'll be in time?"

Charlotte shrugged,

"I guess we'll find out when we get closer unless of course, they manage to keep it within the citadel."

Charlotte's phone rang breaking into our conversation and I waited as she answered it then recognized Carlisle's voice,

"I've just heard from a contact in Volterra, all is quiet at the moment so I would say Jasper hasn't arrived in the citadel yet or something went wrong."

I exchanged a glance with my companion, we were both praying it was the former or those we loved were quite possibly dead.

The helicopter landed about two miles from the mountain top town and we waited for the pilot to take off and fly out of sight before using our vampire speed to run to the bottom of the steep incline that led up to Volterra.

"Now what?"

Charlotte deliberated for a moment,

"We'll make our way to the town wall and if there is no sign of anything happening at the Citadel I guess we'd better break in and find out just what is going on. You up for that Charlie?"

I nodded,

"Good, just follow me and stay as quiet as you can."

A quarter of the way up she stopped suddenly and I looked around expecting to see a reception party of black cloaked figures but there was nothing.

"What is it?"

I had whispered in her ear unwilling to give us away by speaking out loud and then I heard it, faint noises from up ahead. I tensed ready to fight but Charlotte put a restraining hand on my arm,

"It's OK Charlie, they're friendly."

I relaxed as two figures suddenly emerged from the bushes at the side of the road and I recognized Peter and Carlisle's friend Garrett.

"What the fuck are you doing here Charlotte?"

Peter was looking at her stunned then he saw me and stared unbelievingly,

"You brought a newborn with you? Way to go, Char, you're gonna get us all killed."

"He's in control Peter, don't ask me how because I don't know but he insisted on coming to find Bella."

Peter turned his attention back to me,

"Do not fuck up Charlie or I'll kill you myself."

"Fair enough, but where are the others?"

He explained about the tunnel and the recent rock fall but my attention was drawn to Garrett who was looking around nervously.

"We should get going Peter or the others will be on their own with no backup."

We set off once more climbing to the top where the town sat proudly like a king on his throne surveying his kingdom. We left the road and circled the walls until we were at the place closest to the Citadel then we began to climb again. It was easy enough with plenty of hand holds in the rough stone wall although I thought it would have been quicker to jump and told Peter so.

"Yeah, and maybe jump straight into the welcoming arms of the Volturi? I don't think so, they won't expect us to climb and that gives us the edge if they're waiting for us."

It turned out that no one was waiting but there was activity inside the citadel, we could hear raised voices and the sound of running feet echoing along stone corridors.

"Looks like the party already started, get ready folks."

He moved to the shadow of the citadel walls that towered high above us and I saw he had led us to a small iron door set in the stone.

"Just where Demetri said it would be, let's just hope it's been oiled recently."

Not waiting for him to act I grabbed the door and heaved, pulling it free of its mountings with hardly a sound,

"Nope, no oil, it's rusted clean through though, you ready?"

I wanted to go on ahead but I had no idea of the layout of the citadel so I followed Garrett who took the lead.

We made our way towards the sounds of alarm but had only got a couple of hundred yards down the corridor when six tall figures turned a corner up ahead and came to a halt moving into a crouch ready to fight. It seemed we were not going to get any further without going through these guards. The odds weren't bad, four of us to six of them although I knew I was a novice when it came to fighting vampire style.

It was then I noticed three more figures standing well back behind the six and heard Garrett hiss,

"Peter, watch out, that's Afton, Aro, and Renata."

Peter smiled wolfishly,

"Well, well, trying to sneak out Aro, tut, tut."

I knew from Charlotte that the woman at Aro's shoulder was his shield, Renata, and while she was in contact with him no one stood a chance of getting close. I knew he had warned Carlisle and he wasn't the one who had set Jasper on his path of destruction but there was no way I wanted him getting out of Volterra.

I could feel a tingling in my head like my brain was full of electricity just bursting to get out, then Peter, Garrett, and Charlotte attacked and all I could see and hear was the loud crashing as bodies collided and growls and snarls as the fight to the death raged. Something told me to keep moving, to get around the twisted melee of fighters and by hugging the wall I managed it, only to find myself confronted by Aro and his protection squad then suddenly one disappeared from view as if he'd never been there and I looked around wildly before sensing someone coming at me from behind. Without looking I flung my arm towards this invisible enemy and heard him scream before blinking back into view.

"Good, now we can fight fair."

I allowed my instincts to take over just as Charlotte had instructed and before he had a chance to vanish again I was on him tearing at his limbs, my teeth snapping together on his throat and my newborn strength proved too much for him. He screamed a couple of times then lay twitching as I spat out a piece of his throat to join the hand and arm I had also torn off. I knew he wasn't dead but until he could connect his missing body parts he was no danger to me and I turned to find Aro and his shield had fled back the way they came.

I turned back to see the others were holding their own and making a snap decision I followed the fugitives along the twisting corridors with no idea where they were headed only determined that they would not reach safety. I caught them up using my newborn speed and trapped them against a large wooden door that obviously led to some kind of sanctuary because Aro was frantically turning the handle as I pulled up in front of them.

"Going somewhere? Isn't that rude? After all, we haven't even been introduced formally."

The door began to open then slammed shut again almost trapping his hand. He looked at me frowning,

"You can't touch me, I suggest you rejoin your friends, I'm not the one they are looking for."

"True but you're as guilty as they are, you used the poor guy in the past to do your dirty work so I think you and I should have a little talk. Let's go inside shall we?"

I motioned for him to open the door which he did gingerly and the three of us went inside. The room was empty but it was obvious this was Aro's study from the confident way he took the chair behind the desk, Renata still at his shoulder her arm resting lightly on it.

"What is it that you want?"

"Well, to start with how about freedom for The Major?"

He frowned trying to work out my position in all this.

"Why are you so interested in him? Who are you?"

"Oh sorry, I should introduce myself. I'm Bella's father Charlie, the girl who fell in love with your Major so you can see why I'd want him free of this curse or compulsion or whatever the hell it is."

Understanding flooded his face,

"I see, so your daughter is the reason my dear brothers are having so much trouble controlling The Major. I've found their frustrations quite entertaining but you've come to the wrong person, I didn't activate him, Marcus did."

"I know, I was told all about it, but I'm betting you were the one who activated him before and you are the one who knows all about this compulsion."

"I was the one who controlled The Major in the past yes, I have activated him over the centuries when it has become necessary but never on a whim, I hasten to add."

"I'm not much interested in the past, only the present and the future. I need you to deactivate him."

Aro smiled condescendingly,

"I'm sorry but I fear you don't understand how this works, there is no deactivating The Major once the words are said. He will continue to kill until his task is completed and then..."

He held his hands up then let them drop to the table with a bang that startled Renata who jumped but kept her hand on his arm.

I pulled up a chair and sat down smiling back at him,

"Oh I think you are the kind of man who has to be in control at all times, the thought of a rogue weapon at large would concern you as much as me. We're alike in many ways Aro, both leaders, not followers and I wouldn't have any weapon that I hadn't a way of stopping should it become necessary. Now, Charlotte tells me that they are hoping if they kill this Marcus then the compulsion dies with him and maybe they are right but...I think you know a way to make it permanent. So tell me, am I right?"

Aro sat back in his chair studying me thoughtfully,

"You are a very perceptive man, one I would like to call a friend but I'm afraid I really can't help you on this occasion. After all, if The Major kills Caius and Marcus then I will be ruling alone and that takes a strong man, why would I want to free my best and deadliest weapon? That is assuming I could and as it is, I can't. Now, I have somewhere I need to be so if you will excuse me, I do hope your daughter succeeds with her plan to free The Major, for now at least."

He got up and with Renata shadowing him made for the door only to find it wouldn't open. He turned to me, one eyebrow raised in questioningly.

"I thought the problem with the door on the way in was a coincidence but now? What exactly is your gift, Charlie?"

I shrugged nonchalantly,

"No idea, I'm what you might call a newborn so I'm still learning the ropes but what I do know is when I'm being lied to, being a cop will do that for you. So, why don't you sit back down and tell me what I want to know, then we can both go our separate ways."

Aro shook his head,

"I'm afraid I can't help you, now please open the door, after all this is something of a stalemate, I can't get out but neither can you and your friends will probably be glad of your help considering they are fighting most of the Volturi guard. Who knows what is happening to your precious daughter even as we speak."

"If I have to, I'll beat it out of you, but being a sensible man I think you'd rather not go down that road."

His smile widened and he gestured to Renata,

"Unfortunately for you, I am untouchable so long as I have Renata here and she is nothing if not fiercely loyal to me."

I nodded glancing at Renata and feeling that itch again. Something told me I could move her away if I wanted to and right now I did, very much, so I fixed my eyes on hers and waited and after a second she gave a little gasp and slid away from Aro very slowly and even when he attempted to grab her by the hand she just slipped through his grasp until she was tight up against the far wall of the room and when Aro tried to join her I turned my attention to him and he stopped dead, unable to move.

"Well, I guess I've worked out my gift now and it seems to have put you in something of a predicament. Would you care to reconsider?"

Aro scowled and tried once more to move but it was impossible, he was stuck to the spot as if welded there and I stepped forward until we were only a few inches apart lowering my voice to a whisper,

"I guess Renata's gift won't protect you now, shall we see?"

I brought my arm back and punched him in the face enjoying the sensation as my fist met his chin with a satisfying thump. He rocked back on his heels but that was as far as he moved then he touched his jaw wonderingly.

"Not so good when someone else has the upper hand is it? Now, are you going to tell me what you know or am I going to be forced to beat it out of you?"

He was a stubborn bastard but it only took a few minutes to change his mind and once he started to talk I soon knew everything that he did.


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter Fifty Four**

 **Charlie**

I could hardly believe it when Aro told me what he knew,

"There is a way to free the warrior, or rather there was at one time, but it no longer exists and please..."

"What?"

"Charlie, please listen before calling me a liar. I spent much time in the archives over the centuries discovering all I could about the man who created our super warrior. As you quite rightly pointed out one likes to have total control over a dangerous weapon and with the creator dead my only hope was in our huge collection of papers, parchments, and books."

I studied his face carefully,

"You thought that everything was destroyed when his creator died but you were wrong, you found something didn't you?"

"Eventually yes, my perseverance was rewarded, I found a diary in one of the crates that we stole from the Romanian castle after we overthrew them, we already had the parchment scroll with the words to activate him but the diary...well that was most interesting."

"And I bet you didn't bother to tell the others what you had discovered did you?"

Aro shrugged his shoulders,

"I didn't think it necessary, no."

"Yeah, that figures. Go on, what did you discover exactly?"

"Well, in his diary he wrote that there was a way to deactivate the warrior permanently, I think he wanted to have a weapon he could hold over the Romanians if they ever threatened him but...well as I say he never lived long enough to use it. As I say he wrote that there was a way but the command could only be given by the same blood that helped to trap the warrior's soul for all eternity and as I have already explained, Noctua died at the hands of his creation."

"I have a feeling there's a big BUT missing from that sentence and I'm fast losing patience so I suggest you talk faster. before I decide to beat it out of you."

Aro sighed, he didn't like being hurried and he hated not being in control but I didn't give a flying fuck, I just wanted to know how to stop Jasper before it was too late.

"The clue that I picked up on was was in his choice of words, he didn't say by the same person but by the same blood and I wondered if he wrote that because anyone of his origin or ancestry could give the command. Not that it matters because there is no one left of his ancestry."

"How do you know that?"

Aro smiled,

"It's very simple really, I know because I personally have hunted down every descendant of Noctua and believe me it hasn't been easy over the centuries."

"You killed them all?"

He shrugged then grimaced,

"Well, as far as I know, there was one descendant who slipped through my fingers, a certain man, from Noctua's own blood line who escaped my clutches by sailing with Henri de Tonti to the New World in the 17th Century. Have you heard of him?"

I shook my head, why would I have heard of some obscure foreigner from the 17th century? Did I look like a fucking encyclopedia?

"No? Well, he founded the first European settlement in Illinois in 1679 but my quarry had already moved on before I reached there and vanished into obscurity."

"So, there is still a possibility that a descendant survives?"

"Actually I don't know, by the time I finally traced my quarry many years had passed and he had produced six daughters and three sons but five died in infancy leaving only one daughter and the three sons. One son was drowned in a shipwreck and his remaining daughter died in child bed along with her infant son. Of the two remaining sons one entered the priesthood and died childless but the other had four sons. When I finally traced the descendants of those four sons there was only one male survivor of the original blood line, the others having met untimely ends in various ways, epidemics, accidents, and of course violence. The world was an even more dangerous place for humans in those days."

"Yeah, thanks for the history lesson but what about the survivor? Did you trace him?"

"Unfortunately he disappeared in 1812 during the war but he did leave a fiancée who was pregnant with his child. The man's name was Carlo Oliver Cigno but that my friend is where the trail goes cold. There was no paper trail left by the woman and I had no family name to trace her by, she was just a passing mention in a letter he wrote to his family before going to war and the chances of her giving birth to a boy rather than a girl, and one who lived wasn't great. So you see, without a way of tracing this young woman there is no way to find his descendants if any still survive and that is questionable considering the times this girl and her baby lived through besides which you don't have time, even if you knew of a living descendant, to bring him here."

I sat back utterly confounded by his story, I'd never believed in or trusted coincidences but here was one that could only be true because I knew it to be so.

"The girl's name was Mary."

He stared at me in astonishment,

"How could you possibly know that?"

"Because I happen to know how this particular story ends. Carlo deserted and ran away to Canada where Mary joined him after she gave birth to his son. They changed their name so they wouldn't be discovered and stayed in Canada where their son grew up. The family continued down the years and there was only ever one son who survived to manhood in each generation so you see the bloodline did indeed go on."

"And how could you possibly know all this Charlie?"

I smiled as I explained,

"My grandparents held a family bible that dated back to 1813 when a son was born to Mary and Charles Swan. Carlo Oliver Cigno had changed his name but he just translated it to English when they married and the bible has been passed down the generations along with a document written by Mary explaining their story and the history of our family right back to the 17th century."

Aro stared at me mouth open in shock,

"So you see Aro, I'm the one you've been hunting for all this time and I am the very last remaining descendant of the man who called himself Noctua."

He looked at me calculatingly,

"Allow me to point out how ironic it is to find out that your ancestor put the curse on your daughter's mate especially as you won't be able to put a stop to it."

I smiled at him,

"Oh but I will, you see I already have the command stored in my head. We often wondered what the words meant, written in bold black ink on the fly sheet of the bible. The document only said that they had been passed down through the generations as words with great power. for good"

"He left the command there in the family bible for all to see? How fortunate for you that it survived Charlie, however, I am truly sorry but I cannot allow you to use them."

My smile broadened,

"I'm the one whose sorry Aro, but you see, you can't stop me."

I pulled Renata to her feet and shoved her out of the door.

"Go, now. If I see you again I'll assume you're coming back for Aro and I'll be forced to kill you."

I needn't have worried, within a second she had vanished and I knew I wouldn't be seeing her again.

I stepped back inside and grabbed Aro by the collar,

"You and I have an appointment with a certain warrior, come on."

He tried to struggle but I just used my strange gift to force him to do my bidding and he walked beside me stony faced but I knew he wasn't finished yet and if I let my guard down for a second he would attempt to finish his task and kill me.

"I hope you speak fluent Romanian Charlie or it won't work you know."

I smiled,

"Good try Aro, thought you'd catch me out, did you? Romanian wasn't Carlo's native language. He probably used the Romanian tongue to activate the warrior because he was working for Stefan and Vladimir. Actually, I don't speak Romanian at all but I did learn enough Latin to pronounce the words I need. It was a game we played when I was a kid, learning how to talk like a gladiator."

His smile had gone completely now and he tried unsuccessfully to struggle as I pulled him with me back to the main chamber where the fighting was still going on.

 **Garrett**

We finally overpowered and killed the Volturi guards but we had no idea where Charlie had gone or where Aro was and for the moment we were more concerned with finding The Major because if things had gone wrong he would be looking for us and I wanted to see his face before he killed me! It didn't take long to find out where the others were, we just had to follow the sounds of the fighting, at least they had made it into the citadel. When we finally met up I couldn't see Bella anywhere or Darius and Peter glanced at me,

"I've got a bad feeling about this Garrett, stay here with Charlotte, see if you can fight your way through to The Major, I want to know where the rest of the Volturi guards are and our two favorite black cloaks Marcus and Caius."

Peter disappeared down one of the corridors while Charlotte and I threw ourselves into the fighting wading through the Volturi guard from the rear. Then I caught a glimpse of Bella and my heart sank, she was laying on the ground propped up against the stone walls, her eyes black with thirst and concentrating exclusively on The Major. If she failed because of her thirst we were all dead, The Major would mow his way through everyone, probably killing Bella too in his rage. Shouting over get Charlotte's attention I pointed out Bella and nodding her understanding she began to fight her way over to where the girl sat.

 **Charlotte**

Bella looked bad and from the expression on her face, she was struggling to keep The Major shielded from his compulsion to act on his orders. I knelt down beside her and took one limp hand in mine.

"Bella? Are you OK?"

She shook her head,

"I failed him Charlotte, I should have realized all this was taking a lot out of me but I never gave it a thought and seeing my mother should have warned me, using her gift drained her. I'm so thirsty I can hardly concentrate but if I let my shield down so many people will die and I'll lose Jasper Charlotte. I can't bear the thought of that."

I nodded looking around frantically, there had to be a supply of blood here somewhere...but where?

Even as I watched Bella's eyes closed and I could see she was struggling to keep her shield up but one look at The Major showed me that he was feeling the effects of the compulsion, his eyes flashed with rage and his ferocity began to increase taking out guard after guard as if they were no more than stuffed toys who stood in his way.

He must have felt my eyes on him because he turned in my direction and forced words out through gritted teeth.

"Get Bella out of here Charlotte. Run and keep running and take the others with you. Warn Carlisle I'll be coming for him."

Bella heard his words and her eyes flickered open,

"No Jasper, I won't leave you."

His eyes became cold for a moment,

"Go, or die Bella."

I pulled her to her feet and explained why as she tried to struggle,

"Bella there must be blood stored here somewhere, if not I'll take you out into the town and find a human for you but we have to go now."

Reluctantly she followed me out with a final backward glance at The Major then we moved as quickly as possible away from the chamber where all the fighting was centered.


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter Fifty Five**

 **Charlotte**

We hadn't gone far when I saw a familiar figure in the distance and called out,

"Charlie, Charlie, quick, he's losing control, we have to get out of here now."

Charlie ran to my side, followed I was shocked to see by Aro Volturi who seemed unable to move, and threw his arms around Bella who was sobbing now,

"What happened to her?"

"She didn't hunt and now she's too weak to keep her shield up any longer and as a result we're losing The Major. He's already warned us to run but I was going to find her a human, if she drinks she can re-establish control and we might just stand a chance,"

Charlie knelt down and looked up into Bella's down turned face,

"Bella, listen to me. You don't have to worry, I have this under control. Do you hear me? Jasper is going to be OK, I found a way to stop this for good but I need you to calm down and do exactly as Charlotte tells you. OK?"

Bella nodded but we could both tell she didn't believe what he had just told her.

"Charlotte, get her away from here, go up to the wives tower and lock yourselves in with Athena and Sulpicia. You should be safe there for a while, neither of them is on his kill list. Stay there until I send for you, just in case this goes ass upwards."

He got up and shoved us towards the far end of the corridor, watched by Aro who scowled when he saw me looking at him.

"Go, straight to the end then up the stairs and across the courtyard and don't stop for anyone or anything, Go."

I picked up a protesting Bella and ran quite literally for our lives, if The Major had lost control he would be heading our way soon enough. I felt his last words to me were a pact, look after my mate and save her from me and I would do all I could to keep Bella alive and safe although if The Major did come looking for us I doubted there was any man alive who could stand in his way. Our only hope now was Charlie and whatever plan he had come up with. He loved his daughter so much he had died and become a vampire to stay in her life and protect her, I just hoped it wouldn't turn out to be an empty gesture because if he tried to stop The Major alone, he would die.

At the top of the tower, I banged loudly on the door amazed to find it unguarded and when it finally opened it was only a crack and all I could see was a single red eye,

"Who are you?"

"We've come from the fight, please let us in."

I heard two distinct women's voices and then the door was wrenched open and we almost fell into the sumptuous room that was revealed. As soon as we were inside the door was shut and locked and then the rooms occupants, two beautiful vampires, looked at us with inquiring glances.

"What's the matter with her?"

I helped Bella to a sofa and propped her up against some of the velvet cushions scattered about.

"She's thirsty, do you have any blood here?"

They looked at me as if I were insane for even suggesting such a thing.

"Why would we store blood here? Of course not, now what's going on? Marcus told us to lock ourselves in and wait until the fighting is over. Personally I hope my dear husband is ripped limb from limb and burned but that's probably wishful thinking on my part."

The other smiled coldly,

"I just hope Darius made it because being a widow would be the best outcome for me too. Did you see Caius?"

I shook my head,

"No, there was too much fighting, we didn't see either of the brothers."

"Oh, you wont see Aro, he's much too slippery, the bastard, he'll have made a run for it, leaving me here to my fate. Well, you might as well make yourselves comfortable."

"Actually I meant Caius and Marcus, we've seen Aro, he's still here."

Aro's wife looked shocked but she didn't remark on her husband's obviously shocking presence.

We all three sat down and I was about to ask why they weren't out there fighting with their mates despite what Marcus had said but from what they had said I already had my answer, Athena was hoping Darius would kill Caius and Sulpicia assumed her husband had run away leaving her here alone to face whatever might come and finding he hadn't she no longer knew what to think. Was this what happened after centuries of living with your mate? I couldn't imagine Peter ever ignoring me or leaving me in danger but then we hadn't been together centuries like these two women and their mates.

There was an awkward silence as the two women stared at Bella then Athena spoke,

"That's the girl who was keeping The Major from fulfilling his orders, isn't it? Does this mean he's back under control now? That would be a pity under the circumstances."

"Not necessarily Athena, don't forget they have Darius with them if anyone can work out how to stop him it will be him."

"If he's not too busy with Caius or dead already that is Sulpicia."

"We already have someone who knows how to stop him."

They both stared at me then Athena sighed,

"Really? Well, let's hope Darius gets time to kill my scum bag of a husband first."

Sulpicia looked more thoughtful,

"It will be interesting to see if its possible to stop the compulsion after all these centuries. Of course, the warrior goes from strength to strength with each reincarnation but I rather liked this last one, he seemed to be getting a life together and for the first time he recognised a mate."

Athena shook her head,

"Not the first time, there was a girl...let me see, maybe three centuries ago but Aro didn't like the idea that she might undermine our secret weapon and had her murdered, don't you remember?"

I was horrified if Bella survived and The Major finished his kill list or collapsed before he could complete it then would he no longer recognize her as his mate when he woke with a new identity? Surely each of us had only one true mate?

We heard footsteps, someone was running up the circular stairway to the door we had entered by and the wives froze then we heard a voice,

"Athena, Sulpicia, it's me, let me in. I have something here for the girl."

Athena opened the door cautiously and a young woman slipped through. I froze as I heard a heartbeat and smelled the scent of human blood.

"Marie? Who sent you here?"

"Aro, he looked a little strange and I think he was trying to get this to me without the other man seeing. I was fleeing from the tower when I saw him and he beckoned me over while his companion was busy with a stranger I didn't recognise."

So Aro had slipped a message to this girl behind Charlie's back.

"He said there was a girl up here who needed help and to give her this."

She held out a thick cream envelope which I took from her before either of the wives could and ripped open reading it swiftly.

"Bella, your presence is needed if you want The Major to survive. Please accept this gift and join us in the main chamber as soon as you can."

I handed the letter to Bella who read it slowly her brow creasing in puzzlement.

"Gift? What gift? Was there something else in the envelope Charlotte?"

I shook my head and looked meaningfully at the girl Marie and as comprehension dawned in Bella's eyes she looked conflicted, horrified at the idea but also thirsty and feeling the pull of human blood. Her thirst was overcoming her reservations about killing to feed and while I knew she would hate herself afterwards I couldn't bring myself to stop her. I had been looking for a human myself to feed her and now we had one standing before us and we needed Bella strong again. If Charlie was mistaken and Aro knew it maybe he wanted her to control The Major, after all he had not wanted him activated in the first place and had already tried to save the Cullens. We didn't have time to be choosy and we couldn't take time to leave the citadel to hunt down food of our own, this was Bella's only chance.

Bella got up slowly fighting her thirst with every step and she looked at me beseechingly, begging me to stop her but I shook my head,

"We need you, Bella, I'm sorry but this is the only way. Close your eyes and let instinct take over, it will be over very quickly I promise you and she'll feel little pain after the initial bite."

Bella was shaking violently trying to fight the hunger inside but it was stronger than she was and I saw as she surrendered closing her eyes as she pounced on Marie who had been backing towards the door white with fear. The girl only had time for a single scream as Bella's teeth ripped into the soft tissue of her throat and my friend began to drink.

 **Charlie**

We found our way to the center of the fighting and at the doors, I found Peter, Garrett, and Demetri watching as The Major quite literally destroyed anyone who came close enough. There were body parts strewn all around the chamber and the floor was slick with venom spilled from the many broken bodies that piled up before him.

"Stay back Charlie, he's lost it and if you go in there he'll kill you too."

I nodded my thanks for Peter's warning but pushed through anyway looking around,

"Does anyone know where Darius is?"

Garrett smiled,

"Find Caius and you'll find our friend, I wouldn't worry about him Charlie but what's he doing here?"

I turned back to Aro, I'd almost forgotten him in my haste and he was waiting unhappily at the very corner of the corridor, as far as he could get from me without running into problems. I turned my back on him, he was no threat and listened as they filled me in on what had happened. I told them I had spoken to Charlotte and sent the girls to safety.

"It's down to us now I guess."

"Not unless you have a magic wand Charlie, The Major is back on track and when he finishes tearing his way through the Volturi he's going to be hunting Bella and if we stand in his way he'll go straight through us."

"I might just be able to stop him although I left my magic wand at home Peter."

Peter stared at me,

"You found a way to release him? But I thought he'd have to kill Marcus for that and we haven't even seen the fucking ass hole yet."

Aro laughed although it was a little too shrill to give the effect he wanted, of a man with few worries and answered Peter's question cryptically.

"Let's just say a bible gave us the answers."

I stepped inside the room dragging Aro with me and Jasper turned, discarding the last Volturi guard like an unwanted rag doll as he did so, then his eyes fixed on Aro.

"You!"

"I think he recognizes you, maybe he remembers all the times you activated him in the past."

"No, that's not possible, he has no recollection of his past incarnations."

"Well, he looks mighty pissed about something."

I stepped forward and he tensed,

"Jasper? Do you know me?"

He snarled so loudly it echoed around the chamber making my ears hurt.

"I'd take that for your answer Charlie, now come, let's get out of here before we both end up dead. This little plan of yours is madness, he's not going to listen to you and who knows if you can even speak the words correctly."

"I can't do that, Bella became a vampire to save his life Aro so I guess it's down to me now to finish the job."

For a second I saw Jasper looking from those dead black eyes as he whispered her name,

"Bella."

Then it was gone and he smiled a cold, cruel, smile that made me feel sick inside.

"And most importantly of all kill Isabella Swan."

He was repeating the last order he had received and I promised myself when this was over I would hunt down Marcus Volturi and kill him myself if he still lived.

"You can't kill her Jasper, she's your mate, you love her."

Without warning, he launched himself at me and if not for Aro being in the way I think he might have succeeded in getting his hands around my neck. Instead, he picked up Aro and threw him across the room to hit the opposite wall with a terrible crunch, Aro's body slid down and he shook his head deciding he was probably safer if he stayed where he was.

Again Jasper came forward and this time my gift thwarted him and he bellowed in rage slamming himself against it time and time again, he wasn't going to give up and I couldn't wait any longer.

"Jasper, listen to me."

He ignored this and I cursed my ignorance of Latin pronunciation. Turning my head to look at my friends I shouted,

"Hey anyone here speak Latin?"

They looked at me as if I had lost my mind and Aro laughed again, he thought I was stumped but then Darius appeared covered in what looked like venom although he didn't appear to be hurt.

"What do you need Charlie?"

"How do I say listen to me in Latin?"

"Ascoltami"

"Thanks."

I stared into Jasper's face

"Jasper Ascoltami"

"You mean Jasper mi ascolta, Charlie."

"Right."

I repeated the phrase and Jasper stopped, looking at me with his head tilted to one side as if he knew he should recognise the words but wasn't sure. I'd gotten through to him at last, now all I had to do was to get the rest right so I took a calming breath then spoke again,

"Deponere gladium fortis tuus denique opus Nunc libero."

I heard Peter's whispered question to Darius,

"What the hell did he just say?"

And Darius repeated my words in English

"Lay down your sword brave warrior, your work is done and now you are finally free. Although his pronunciation is terrible."

I waited praying it had worked while everyone else seemed to have frozen in place as they watched, the silence in the room broken only by the cries of the injured Volturi and scuffling as bodies tried to reach dismembered limbs in order to reattach them.

 **Thanks to Google Translate for the Latin translation.**


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter Fifty Six**

 **Bella**

I couldn't believe what I had just done as I watched the girl slump to the floor wiping the last drop of her blood from my lips. I had known as a vampire I would be dependant on blood to survive but I had fooled myself into believing I could do this without harming any humans and now the cold hard truth hit me in the face. I had killed a human being to quench my thirst and although I was horrified I knew if the circumstances reoccurred I would do exactly the same again. I needed my strength to save Jasper and he mattered more to me than anything else, even the murder of an innocent young girl.

"She was hardly innocent Bella if she were she wouldn't be working in Volterra, not in the Citadel anyway. I'm pretty sure she was one of those creeps who think being a vampire is really sexy and hopes she might be changed if she catches the eye of one of the guys."

Charlotte was right although that didn't make what I had done any less wrong.

"I have to find Jasper before he loses himself, I couldn't bear to live without him Charlotte. Come on, we have to go."

Athena and Sulpicia stood back, eyes fixed on the girl's body as Charlotte opened the door but as we left they followed.

"Whatever is going on it will be over by now, we might as well find out what happened and where we stand."

I didn't like them following behind us but there was nothing I could do about it so I tried to ignore them as much as possible.

"Did I dream Charlie's presence?"

"No, it was him. He woke up in total command of himself and insisted I get him to Volterra so he could help you."

"He came here for my sake? But didn't he say something about being able to help Jasper?"

"Yes and let's hope he could. Come on, my guess is they'll be in the audience chamber, whoever is left."

All the way I had my fingers crossed and prayed under my breath that Jasper would be there, would still be himself, but as we got closer the signs of devastation told their own story of a terrible violent struggle and I wondered if the compulsion had taken him over completely and if so, would he still remember me? There was a noise up ahead, people shouting and talking excitedly and I speeded up followed closely by Charlotte and the other two.

As we skidded to a halt at the door I could see a large group of black cloaked figures huddled together in a corner and recognized faces standing separate from them but watching them carefully. Peter, Garrett, Demetri, Darius and last but not least my dad and kneeling on the floor close to him was Jasper. His eyes were closed and he was so still he looked as if he's been carved from stone.

Charlotte left my side to throw herself relieved into Peter's arms while I stood watching the man I loved waiting for a sign that he recognized me. Something had happened, he was no longer driven by the compulsion and I knew it had nothing to do with my presence but had my dad somehow stopped it affecting him or was this the inevitable aftermath of his killing spree? If it was then at least Carlisle and Edward would be safe and could go home to Esme and the others but what about me? How would I cope without Jasper? Just thinking about that sent me tottering at the edge of a dark bottomless pit.

Charlie beckoned me forward,

"Bella, I'm so glad you are OK, I wish I'd got here sooner but I hope everything will be fine."

I glanced down at Jasper's bowed head.

"What did you do to him? Will he be OK?"

"I hope so, I found a way to free him of the curse permanently but since then he hasn't moved. Maybe if you spoke to him."

"He's...he's cured? He'll never have to kill again?"

"No, at least that's how it's supposed to go, I guess we'll just have to wait to find out but are you OK? You looked so ill earlier."

I gritted my teeth and confessed my actions to him all the while watching his face for any signs of disgust but all I saw was fury at Aro's actions.

"That slimy little bastard must have spoken to the girl while I was catching up on the news with Peter and the others."

"Where is he now?"

Charlie smiled and gestured to the far corner where a solitary figure sat in a chair watching the proceedings with a look of defeat on his face. A part of me wanted to go over and kill him just like I'd killed the girl but a larger part needed to be with Jasper so after tossing him a contemptuous glance I sank slowly to my knees before my mate and spoke his name very softly.

"Jasper?"

He didn't respond and I stretched out a hand to rest gently on his shoulder but still, there was no response.

"Jasper? It's Bella. Charlie says you're going to be OK, please answer me."

He lifted his head and looked into my face but instead of recognition, there was only confusion.

"Úbi sum?"

I didn't understand the language he was speaking and looked around for help just as Darius approached and joined us kneeling beside me but addressing his words to Jasper.

"Quam multa non meministi?"

Jasper seemed to understand him and answered still in the strange tongue.

"Est omni confusione quam si uitam puriter egi mille generationes"

Darius turned to me,

"He's confused, he remembers nothing clearly, he says it's as if he's lived a thousand lifetimes. You need to give him time, his brain needs to adjust, Right now he's still the warrior, that's why he's speaking Latin. Charlie used his mother tongue to stop him."

Jasper's hand shot out and grasped mine gently,

"Bella?"

I nodded smiling,

"Yes, it's me. Do you remember who you are?"

He looked at Darius who translated my words into Latin.

"Ita, hoc est me. Meministine quis es? "

Jasper rubbed his forehead and I saw recognition slowly spark in his eyes,

"I...I ….Cogito ergo sum, yes it's coming back to me now. I remember...Maior, The Major, but there are other memories too."

"It doesn't matter, I'll help you, we all will. I'm just relieved you're OK."

"Maybe you should take The Major out for a while, give him a chance to remember things without an audience. We'll take care of things here, or at least I guess your dad will."

I glanced up at Darius words to see my dad marching over to where Aro sat, Charlotte and Peter at his shoulder, then nodded,

"Sure, we'll be out in the courtyard. Come on Jazz."

To my relief, he stood up and still grasping my hand walked with me out of the room seemingly unaware of the attention he was attracting.

 **Charlie**

Did Aro really think he would get away with turning my little girl into a murderer? I knew why he'd done it, he wanted to get back at me for forcing him to do what I wanted him to and when my back was turned he had taken his opportunity but what he failed to understand was that I was more like him than he knew and no one hurt those I loved and got away with it. Besides he was due for retirement, he'd outlived his days as a ruler and now I was going to make sure he understood that.

I turned to my companions,

"I can handle this."

"Oh, I don't doubt that for a second Charlie, we're just here to make sure you don't get interrupted."

I glanced over to where more Volturi guards were appearing to swell the numbers we had trapped in the room after I deactivated The Major.

Aro looked up with a self-satisfied smile on his face,

"I rather think we work well together Charlie, after all, without the information that I possessed you wouldn't have been able to stop The Major now would you?"

"True, but now I see no further need for you."

His eyes narrowed,

"Is this because I sent your daughter a gift? We both know she needed to feed and if you had failed she was the only one who could control him. I did what needed to be done, it's something you learn when you command, sometimes you must do things that you dislike in order to get the job done."

"Your problem Aro is that you stopped disliking the things you had to do and that's when you become no better than those you purport to be ruling, criminals or rogues. They say power corrupts and you are a perfect example of that. So, you see I have various reasons to end your miserable life."

He got to his feet angrily,

"You have no rights here Charlie, I control the Volturi, I am the Volturi and you'd do well to remember that as a new member of my world."

I turned to look at the large crowd of Volturi now watching us keenly,

"Really? Shall we put it to a vote? I mean these people know you much better than I do so let your peers say what happens."

We were interrupted by the arrival of two young people, both fair haired and obviously twins, the ones with the powerful gifts.

"Come in and join us, I'm afraid you missed all the fun but you're here now so you can join in the democratic process."

They both frowned looking at Aro for guidance,

"I wouldn't bother if I were you. You may have noticed he's missing his shield, Renata, and his crown too if you think about it."

The girl glared at me and I guessed what she was trying but my gift kept me safe and I smiled back at her,

"You get one shot free, if you try that again I'll make you regret it and I can, I assure you."

I turned to her brother who was a little more subdued,

"You want a free shot too? Or are you more sensible than your sister? We're gonna need people with sense when this is all over, Alec isn't it?"

He nodded averting his eyes from Aro and those of his sister who was now scowling furiously but also helpless to do anything.

I turned to Darius,

"Thanks for the help there, do we need to worry about hunting for Caius? Or have you remedied that little problem already?"

"Let's just say he won't be causing any more problems where he is."

I nodded,

"Great. What about Marcus?"

Garrett walked slowly over to a door which had been obscured by a thick velvet curtain and pulling it across threw open the door.

"I guess you can come out now Marcus, good idea hiding right in the middle all the commotion but I reckon The Major would have sniffed you out soon enough, after all, I did."

A tall man with a strangely peaceful expression walked proudly into the chamber and stood looking around him.

"Marcus? Do you have anything you'd like to say before we decide what to do with you?"

His voice was calm and surprisingly soft,

"Actually there is one question I would put to Aro."

"Certainly, go ahead."

He turned to Aro and I could see just how important this answer was to the big man but Aro merely smiled smugly,

"Don't bother to ask because I have no intention of answering any differently than I did the last time you asked me."

Marcus continued as if Aro hadn't spoken,

"Did you murder my wife to keep me here in Volterra?"

Aro merely looked away and I felt sorry for Marcus, sorry and horrified by what he suspected but I couldn't help him nor could I force Aro to answer but then a female voice cut across the silence which had fallen across the room caused by the ramifications of the question.

"Yes Marcus, he did. I know because Caius told me, he witnessed her death and he threatened that if I ever told you he would kill me in the same way."

Marcus didn't say anything he just looked at the woman who had come forward,

"I'm so sorry Marcus but Sulpicia didn't know the truth until today. Aro discovered that you and Didyme were planning on leaving Volterra and he feared you would gather others around you who were dissatisfied with his rule. He went to ask his sister to reconsider but when she refused he threatened her and she laughed in his face. She was braver than any of us and driven to rage by her reaction Aro attacked her and when he had a grip on her throat he told her he wanted to watch the laughter die in her eyes. He blinded her and then took her down to the catacombs and lit a funeral pyre. That's where Caius found him and he told my husband what he had done and what would be the fate of any who opposed him in the future. I was terrified and that's why I never told you."

Marcus turned to me,

"You heard her, Aro is mine and then you may do what you choose with me, but I claim the right to avenge my wife's murder."

I nodded and we made space around the two men, lining the walls completely as it seemed no one wanted to miss Aro get what was coming to him.

I could have offered my help but that would have been to insult Marcus so I just watched with everyone else as Marcus stalked his "brother" who looked desperately for a way out or allies and found neither. It didn't take long for the taller heavier man to pin Aro to the ground and he then proceeded to do to Aro exactly what Aro had done to his sister, Marcus wife. I wondered if anyone would try to intervene, to save Aro, but every face I looked at was the same, all showed only contempt for a man who could torture and kill his own sister.

When the smoke finally cleared leaving a small pile of ashes where Aro had lain Marcus spat contemptuously on them and turned to me,

"I'm ready for my own death now."

"I'd like to say join us, that your expertise and knowledge of how the Volturi functions would be useful but I'm sure you can see why that wouldn't be possible."

"You would be offering me only more centuries of torture and loneliness without my beloved mate and yes I understand. After all, I was the one who used The Major to settle old scores, we all did. Sulpicia hated the close relationship between Aro and Carlisle Cullen, Caius saw a way of finally ridding himself of Darius who had haunted his every moment over the centuries and a way to get back at Aro for always being one step ahead of us and me? Well, I just wanted to get even with Aro for keeping me alive all this time yoked to him by Chelsea although I didn't know if Caius was lying about Didyme's death or not. I was a coward I suppose, I should have set The Major on Aro himself, still, what is done is done and now all I want is peace."

We could have executed Marcus just as he had taken revenge on Aro but it seemed unnecessary so we allowed him to take his own life and for the first time, I saw someone go gladly to their death.


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter Fifty Seven**

 **Bella**

Once outside in the peace and quiet of the courtyard, Jasper seemed to relax and we sat beside one of the fountains that splashed gaily into a large pool filled with water lilies of cream and pink. It was such a normal sight that it made me smile, we could have been in Jane Austen's country garden when in reality we were in the very heart of the vampire world where a war had just been fought.

"What amuses you?"

I turned to see Jasper studying me so I told him and he nodded,

"I know what you mean, it's so tranquil here. Everything seems so alien to me right now, I don't even know who I am. I mean I know my name, I remember you and that I love you but everything else, even my body seems alien to me."

"Maybe if I explain your past you'll understand better Jazz."

He nodded and turned so he could look at me as I spoke. As I related everything that I'd learned about his past it seemed so fantastic that it couldn't possibly be true but it was, everything that had happened only proved that and when I finished speaking he closed his eyes and weary look came over his face. This must all be a terrible shock and I wondered how he would ever come to terms with finding out he was not just one person but a whole crowd of different people over the centuries.

When he finally opened his eyes again he looked different, more settled, as if he had made peace with himself.

"It seems I have a lot to learn Bella, I mean I feel like me and yet I don't. I have so many strange memories that I don't remember having lived through yet I know they belong to me."

"It'll take time Jasper but we have that, an eternity of it in fact."

He smiled and lifted one hand to rest gently on my cheek,

"You have sacrificed so much for my sake Bella lived through more than any woman should have to. I'm humbled by your love for me, especially as you know the truth."

I put my own hand over his and smiled,

"The truth doesn't make any difference, I loved you as Jasper Whitlock and I shall always love you because whatever happens, you have always been this man, the one I fell in love with to begin with. All the different lives you have lived make no difference, I'm sure if I could go back in time and meet a former you I would recognize him and I know I would feel exactly the same way about you then as I do now. We'll get through this together."

"Thank you. I don't remember if I ever told you just how much having your love means to me or that I love you in return."

"Well, you did but you can tell me again if you like, it will never grow old."

We stayed outside until Charlotte came looking for us,

"Charlie needs you back in the audience chamber, they're taking a vote on a new Volturi leadership."

We looked at each other then he shrugged and got up while Charlotte stared hard at Jasper almost willing him to remember her and freeing his hand from mine he held it out to her,

"Charlotte, I have you to thank for helping Bella and her father. Don't look so worried, I do remember you, my friend, and Peter."

The relieved smile that crossed her face made me smile too, we were all worried that his memory might be full of holes but so far he remembered all the important things.

"Who is up for election?"

"I'm not really sure. The surviving Volturi agreed they needed a new ruling body so Charlie gave them all a free vote. He decided a council of four was probably big enough so every one had four votes. I know Alec and Jane would both like to be on it but after all that's happened they might be mistrusted by many. If you are asking for my opinion I think your dad might find himself at the top of the list, he's a natural, the way he took over when everything was a mess."

I nodded,

"Yeah, dad's always been good in a crisis, well shall we go? I'd hate to keep the new King of the Volturi waiting."

As we walked back across the courtyard I happened to look up and something caught my eye, something suspended on a long spike from the top of the clock tower.

"What's that? It wasn't there before."

Charlotte grimaced then explained,

"Hazarding a guess I'd say that was Darius revenge."

As the penny dropped I gasped,

"He's put Caius head on a spike? But doesn't that mean that Caius is technically still alive? Surely someone who is loyal to him could get it down and reunite it with his body? Then this would start all over again."

Jazz exchanged a knowing glance with Charlotte,

"I rather doubt Caius body still exists, Darius would have destroyed that first. No, he's had his revenge now, Caius will exist up there looking out over the citadel he helped to build and unable to stop any of the changes he sees. There will be no one to talk to, nothing to do but watch. Imagine that for a few centuries, knowing nothing will ever change for you, that you are stuck there a prisoner for all time."

I shuddered, the very thought was enough to make me feel almost sorry for Caius, almost but not quite.

"What about Marcus?"

"He fell on his sword so to speak."

"And Aro?"

"Killed by Marcus for the murder of his wife."

"It sounds like all the loose ends are being tidied up now."

"They need to be or they'll come back to haunt whoever takes over as leaders of the Volturi. Sorry, you didn't get your revenge on Marcus Major."

Jazz looked at her steadily for a moment,

"I think I prefer Jasper if it's all the same to you. I'm hanging up my sword for good."

I squeezed his hand,

"Don't say that you might need it one day to protect what we're building now, to make sure there isn't another Aro just waiting his chance to snatch control."

He sighed,

"There is always someone waiting to snatch control Bella, it's just that some have more genuine reasons than others. If you look at it from Aro's point of view, we came along and used force to snatch the reins of government from him and his brothers. It's all a matter of opinion really and the strong inevitably win, that's why I was created, to make sure my creators were always the strongest."

Once inside it was apparent the atmosphere had changed considerably, the overt hostility between the Volturi and our group was much less evident although I could see that Jane had gathered around her a small group of malcontents.

In the center of the room was a table with a lidded box on it and each person was being handed slips of blank paper and a pen. Seeing us Demetri came over and handed us the same equipment.

"All the names of those who have shown interest in the ruling council have put their names up on that board"

He pointed to a hastily erected chalk board with various names scribbled on it.

"Charlotte's probably already told you but you have four votes, put four different names on your slip of paper and place it in the box. When everyone has voted we will have a count and those with the majority will form the new Volturi governing body."

Many of the Volturi were looking around unsure and it dawned on me that they had probably never seen democracy in action before and weren't sure how it worked or maybe if it would work here in Volterra.

"What if we choose someone whose name isn't on the board?"

He shrugged,

"Beats me, I guess we'll just wait and see if that occurs, why? Were you thinking of voting for yourself?"

I shook my head horrified at the very idea,

"It will take someone much older and wiser not to mention stronger to rule over our world. Maybe I should nominate Peter."

Charlotte who was still with us looked horrified,

"I think wisdom and diplomacy rank high in leadership skills and my husband possesses neither of those. Only the insane or stupid would vote for him."

I smiled but I thought she was being a little cruel.

Seeing Charlie talking to Darius, Peter, and Garrett and we joined them.

"Darius, I saw your handwork on the clock tower. How long do you intend keeping it up there?"

Darius smiled and I could see how content he was to have finally gotten his revenge.

"I would say until it rots and falls off but as it's still technically alive I guess it's going to be a permanent fixture, call it a warning to others not to cross me or break the laws on mates."

Well, I guess as a warning you couldn't get any more serious,

"What about Athena? How does she feel about her husband's head on a spike?"

He smiled more widely,

"Who do you think helped me put it up there? You've heard the saying, haven't you? Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, well Caius is living proof of its truth."

"You should vote, they'll be closing the box soon."

I looked at Jasper who was studying the names on the board,

"Are you going to vote?"

He nodded,

"I guess I should, it's my world too Bella. Come on."

We found a quiet corner and wrote down our choices posting them into the ballot box only five minutes before Charlie called time and the lid was put on the box.

"Who's going to do the counting?"

Charlie, Alec, Sulpicia, Peter, and Charlotte stood up and followed the box carried by Chelsea into a side room and shut the door behind them. So, it was to be a mixed bag of old Volturi and interlopers who would be involved in the count and I wondered what the outcome might be.

"Shall we take a walk?"

I nodded and took Jaspers outstretched hand allowing him to lead, me not into the courtyard this time but out into the cool evening air of the town square where the humans who called Volterra home were enjoying a glass of wine or dinner in one of the outdoor restaurants blithely unaware of the coup that had taken place only a few yards from where they sat.

We walked down the main street which sloped to the high stone archway through the city wall and went through it into the countryside beyond.

"It's a beautiful night, look at all the stars."

I looked up, Jazz was right, there seemed to be thousands of them twinkling in the soft velvet night sky.

"When I was a boy my mother told me that each star was a brave warrior who had laid down his life for others."

I looked at him and wondered at the memory of his human life centuries ago, before he had been turned into a killing machine by first the Romanians and later the Volturi.

"I always wanted to join them, to live with the bravest of the brave but now I see one doesn't have to die to join the bravest of all. I found them here on earth, a beautiful fragile human girl who sacrificed everything for love of a vampire warrior and protected him at the very risk of her own life. A man who gave up everything for the love of his daughter, following her to the very gates of hell. I'm proud to be loved by such people Bella, I hope I can be worthy of it."

Then he turned and pulled me into his arms and we kissed, the sky and the very stars dissolving away as I gazed into his eyes.

It was much later when we tore ourselves away from the night and our love for each other to rejoin the others in the audience chamber. We could hear voices before we reached the others and when I saw the names with the number of votes beside them on the chalk board I couldn't help but smile. The Volturi had chosen wisely, the new council of leaders was a mix, Alec, and Athena from the old, Charlie and Darius from the new but there was another name, one with more votes than the others and I looked at Jasper,

"It seems you are highly thought of by everyone."

He shook his head,

"I'm not a diplomat and I have no wish to live here in Volterra. For too long now I have been directed and commanded by others, all I want is my freedom and a life with you."

Charlie came over to talk to us, the others hanging back.

"I hope you don't mind Jasper but I decided in your absence to ask you to be a non-resident member of the council. I felt as kin I could speak for you and I knew you probably wouldn't want to be tied down after all you've been through but you were a popular choice."

Jasper and I both looked at Charlie puzzled by his words.

"Kin?"

"Oh yes, you'd better come and sit down while I tell you a little story.",

We listened in stunned silence as Charlie explained what he and Aro had discovered, Jasper and I were distantly related and that's how Charlie had been able to free Jasper from the curse.

"So you see son, we were already related before you thought about asking for my daughter's hand."

I would have blushed if I'd still been human but as it was I just cringed in embarrassment but Jasper merely nodded,

"And I knew you'd give me that blessing without my having asked for it so I guess all that remains is for me to ask Bella herself."

As he sank down onto one knee everyone turned and with very few exceptions everyone erupted into applause. It had been a hard and violent path but we had finally made it to our happy ever after.

It was some weeks later that we heard from Carlisle, he and Edward had learned from Garrett that they were now officially safe and had gone to join Esme and the others on the island. Although they were free to go anywhere they decided to stay there for the foreseeable future and just enjoy each other's company. I guess having been through all this we all appreciated our relationships just a little more. They did, however, promise to travel to Italy for the wedding, I could hardly be married elsewhere with my dad busy running the Volturi now could I? Especially as he had been forced to give Jane an ultimatum, she was jealous because Alec had been elected to the Council and she had not. It probably had something to do with the fact she had been perceived as one of Aro's henchmen or possibly because she was such a little bitch and smug with it. Anyway, she chose exile and Chelsea made sure she wouldn't cause any trouble by binding her to the Volturi. She wasn't a puppet, she just couldn't act against us.

"Aro would have killed her if she'd chosen exile, either that or bound her tight to himself and called the tune, Charlie."

"I know Athena, but I'm not Aro, I won't keep her a prisoner although she's too dangerous to allow her to go off without any safeguards, the Romanians would welcome her with open arms."

"As I say, Aro would have had her murdered."

There was no answer to that and Charlie didn't try.

 **THE END.**

 **I'm away for a week from tomorrow and posts will be irregular but there will be a new story soon and I just want to thank everyone who came along for the ride and those who took the time to review.**

 **Love Jules xx**


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